Sairen to Samurai (The Siren and The Samurai)
by vampireXgirl13X
Summary: Mori X OC Gwenivere has just transferred to Ouran Academy. What will happen when she's in the same class as the Twins and Haruhi? And what will happen when she meets a certain tall and dark samurai boy with those piercing, smoky black eyes . . . ? Rated M for later chapters. ON HIATUS FOR AWHILE.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Rōran akademī e yōkoso!

(Welcome To Ouran Academy!)

"Shiz, I'm late!" I muttered, running at top speed to class. I had just moved to Japan five days earlier. My new school was Ouran Academy, a place where only the children of the wealthy could attend. Hah! I found it funny that _I_ was the main bread-winner of the house, and not my mom. I'd had a feeling that none of my future classmates were gonna be like me.

I had taken a tour of the place two days after my relocation. I was led around by a boy named Kyouya Ohtori, the third son of the famous Ohtori Group chairman. He was very helpful, albeit a tad snobbish. He'd asked me what my parents did for work, and I'd laughed.

"May I ask what is so funny?" he'd asked, confused.

"My mom isn't the one who makes the _real_ money at home," I'd said. "I am."

He looked a little shocked at first, then cleared his throat and asked, "Well then, what do _you_ do for work?"

"I'm an artist," I answered. "I do paintings, sketches, and I've collaborated with a few authors to make the cover art for their books." I paused. "To the art world, I am known as 'Lady Luna.' It's an alias so I don't have a crap ton of crazy people stalking me or something."

His eyes had widened, and he dropped the subject.

We continued on with the tour, and the campus had been a lovely sight to behold. My younger sister, Alaina, was over at the middle school building of the academy with mom getting a tour over there. At the end of the tour, he showed me the female uniform, and I had nearly gagged.

"I'm sorry, but I'd only wear that if Hell froze over and the sun imploded," I'd said. "It's too . . . _girly . . ._"

He almost smiled. "Sorry, but that is what the ladies wear."

Then I got an idea. "What if I wore the boys uniform?"

Kyouya seemed to be thinking very hard, but then shook his head. "Not possible," he said.

"Hmmm," I said, thinking. "What if I girlified it? You know, made it feminine-like?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

I grabbed a pencil and a pad of paper from my denim purse. I sketched out what I had in mind, then showed him. He raised a brow, but I cut him off before he could say anything.

"Just show the headmaster," I said, holding up a finger, "and see what he says. If he says no, then I'll grit my teeth and wear the damn frilly dress. If he says yes, I'll be wearing what you see drawn here on my first day. Deal?"

He smirked all superior-like, then headed to the headmaster's office. After a few moments, he came back, looking slightly put out.

"He said it was fine," he reported.

"Wunderbar!" I said, clapping my hands.

After the tour, I left and went home to start working on my uniform. It didn't really take much; I had most of the stuff I would need already in my wardrobe, but the piece that would have the school's insignia on it was going to take a little while. On my first day, I put on my finished work of art with a sense of pride; I'd put my blood-red hair up in pigtails and put in my favorite pearlescent lavender earrings.

So, there I was, rushing at top speed to my homeroom. Free period was almost over, and I was cutting it close. I was in class 1A, the highest rank in the first year class. I made it passed the threshold just as the bell rang. I sighed in relief, then look up. Everyone as staring at me, including the teacher. I could guess why . . .

My uniform consisted of: a pair of black, flared dress pants; a white, button-down shirt with puffed short sleeves; and a lavender, pinstriped vest with the school's insignia over my left breast. A chain stretched form the chest pocket over my right breast and attached to the lowest button; the chain belonged to my great-grandpapa's old pocket watch.

I kept my face expressionless and walked up to the teacher. "Hi. I'm the new transfer student, Gwenivere Beilschmidt," I said quietly, bowing slightly in respect and lowering my green-eyed gaze.

"Y-yes," said the teacher, regaining his composure. He looked at everyone else. "Class, this is the new transfer student we've been expecting. Her name is Gwenivere Beilschmidt and she is from America. Please make her feel welcome."

Everyone in the room said hi, and the teacher showed me where my seat was. I took the empty seat in front of an orange-haired boy. He was a twin, for his brother was down to my diagonal right. Class started, and he leaned forward and whispered in my ear.

"Nice getup," he breathed. "I'm Kaoru Hittachiin."

"Nice to meet you," I murmured. "And thank you. It's my own design."

"Cool," he replied, sounding genuinely impressed.

He left me alone for the rest of class, however, wehn the lunch bell rang, he threw his arm across my shoulders, catching me by surprise. I gasped, then heard Kaoru say, "Hey Hikaru, Haruhi, I want you guys to meet Miss Beilschmidt, designer extraordinaire!"

I turned my head to see who he was talking to. It was his twin and the person who sat in front of him, who had short brown hair and chocolate eyes. I looked closely at the non-twin, trying to figure out what was off about him . . . Wait, was that even a "him?" Hmmm . . .

Everyone had left the room for lunch, so I leaned in and whispered, "Hey, you're a girl, ain't ya?"

The twins stiffened, then began to protest my observation.

"No, Haruhi's a total guy!"

"He's not a girl you silly American!" Nervous laughter.

"What do they teach you across the ocean?" More nervous laughter.

Finally, the person in question spoke up. "Shut up, guys. You're giving me a headache. And to answer your question," Haruhi added, looking at me, "yes, I am a girl."

"Haruhi!" both twins said at once, shocked expressions on their faces.

"Don't worry," I said, waving off their worried looks. "I won't tell a soul. Well, aside form my mom and sister, but they can keep it quiet, too. They would both figure it out anyways if they were to meet you, just like I did. We're pretty observational." I shrugged. "It don't matter to me if you wanna dress and act like a guy. If you met my friends back in New Hampshire, you would understand why," I added, smirking and giggling.

"Thanks," she said, smiling. "Everyone here thinks I'm a boy due to . . . certain circumstances; only a few people know the truth."

The Twins were nearly dying with relief, then got a hold of themselves. "Come on," said Hikaru. "Let's go eat! I'm starving!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Guchi to Hosuto no

( Of Bitches and Hosts )

We made our way to the dining hall, making small talk as we went. I told them a little about my younger sister, Alaina, and I learned that Haruhi's dad was a tranny, and that the twins' mom was a fashion designer.

"So that's why you complimented my outfit," I said to Kaoru as we stepped into the dining hall.

The twins and I grabbed a spot in line while Haruhi took her bento and got us a table. I tried to stay away from foods on the menu that were too fancy for my palate and stuck with a simple fruit salad, chicken dumplings, and a bowl of fried rice. The twins got a few things that were hard for me to pronounce and we made our way over to the table Haruhi picked; it was by the windows, and practically on the opposite side of the hall.

"Itadakimasu!" we said simultaneously.

As we ate, I asked, "Hey, do you think the middle schoolers have the same lunch period as us?"

"Maybe," said Hikaru. "Why?"

"Oh, I wanted to try and see if I could check up on her," I said, popping a dumpling in my mouth. After I swallowed, I said, "But I'll see her later. After all, I don't want to butt in. Knowing her, she most likely has a shit ton of friends already." I grinned.

They all chuckled, then Haruhi asked, "So, what's your family like?"

"Well, my mom owns a bakery chain and makes all different kinds of goodies," I said. "The most popular products are her apple pie and a recipe that I came up with for jam-filled muffins. My grammie and grampa still live in America. My grammie's a bus driver for the Tilton school district, and my grampa is retired. He likes making things out of wood and fixing up his Oldsmobile."

"My little sister, though," I added, becoming a little serious, "she's on the fast track to becoming as famous as I am."

"You're famous?" asked Haruhi, tilting her head.

"Well, not by _this_ name," I said. "I'm famous as 'Lady Luna'. I'm an artist."

"No WAY!" said the twins simultaneously.

"_You're_ 'Lady Luna'?" asked Kaoru, his eyes wide.

"We have a painting of yours in our bedroom!" said Hikaru, grinning like a fanboy.

"Yes, I'm 'Lady Luna', Kaoru; and which one do you have?!" I asked excitedly, grinning.

"One of your earlier pieces," said Hikaru.

"Do you remember 'Concert by the Full Moon'?" asked Kaoru, smiling.

"Oh man . . . that _is_ an old one," I said, reminiscing. "That was one of my first big hits. I never realized that you guys bought it."

"Wait, you painted that picture of the wolves howling at the full moon that they have?" asked Haruhi, her eyebrows raising. "Wow."

"Thank you," I said, giggling and blushing a little in embarrassment. "I try."

"So, how is your sister becoming as famous as you?" asked Kaoru.

"Yeah, cuz that confuses me," said Hikaru. "She must be pretty good at art."

"No, not at art," I said, chuckling. "She's a musical genius. She can learn how to play an instrument in a month or less, and she can play a song on any of them after just listening to it a few times. She's a little like Mozart in that way; she can play by ear, not by reading sheet music. She literally hates that crap, and she has a hard time reading it. It's mostly cuz she's dyslexic. I think her musical talent was the Great Mother's way of balancing that out."

I smiled tenderly. "She's honestly one of my best friends. And she's wicked talented; she's teaching me how to play violin," I said. "Before she started teaching me, the closest thing to an instrument that I could play was anything on Rock Band; and my voice, too, of course. But I'm getting pretty good at the violin. She says that she won't have to teach me anymore pretty soon."

We continued eating in a companionable silence. I finished before them, so I got up and said, "Be right back; Imma go take care a this."

I made the slightly long treck back to the front of the dining hall and dropped off my tray. Halfway back to our table, three girls blocked my way.

"Hey, stay away from Haruhi, Hikaru, and Kaoru!" said the one in the middle, crossing her arms. Her voice was nasally, and quite unpleasant. "Don't think that just because you are new here that you can just steal the Host Club first years away from us, American."

My eyebrow twitched. "Look, girly, I don't know what your bloody problem is, but they talked to me first," I said calmly. "It wasn't the other way around. And I don't see a problem with me being friends with them. So put on your big girl panties and get the hell over it."

She just looked at me in shock. "How _DARE_ you talk to me like that!" she said, fuming.

"Hey, I don't like being told what to do," I said, shrugging nonchalantly. "Be careful walking on the field of your jealousy, you might step on a landmine and become even more of a Hündin." I smirked slightly, then became grave. "Now, please move, cuz you're in my way. I don't want Haruhi and the twins wondering where I went off to."

She shook with rage, spluttering, "You . . . you . . . you-!"

"Is there a problem over here, ladies?"

I turned around to see who spoke and saw a tall boy with sunshine blonde hair and indigo eyes. Behind him was Kyoya and two other boys; the first was a short boy with honey-toned hair and topaz eyes, and he was clutching a little pink bunny stuffy. The second, I'm embarrassed to say, took my breath away.

He was the tallest out of all of them, with olive-ish skin and black, slightly spiked hair. I could tell that he was strong, simply by the way he carried himself. But what really got me were his eyes; those bottomless, smoky eyes . . . . They seemed to peer into my soul and mind. They were so expressive! Someone with eyes like those must've been more of a quiet person, I reasoned. No one gains that kind of apparent wisdom from chattering all the time; it's gained by observation and listening.

"Oh, Tamaki-senpai," crooned the lead bitch. "This girl was being so mean to me~ . . ."

"Oh, oh no, don't lie through those semi-perfect teeth of yours, dearie," I said, whirling back around to face her. "_You're_ the one who got all up in my biz and said that I wasn't allowed to be friends with Haruhi and the twins. And _you're _the one who got into a pissy mood when I pretty much told you to stop acting like a jealous, spoiled brat."

Tamaki came around to stand next to me, looking between the girl and I. "Is this true, Princess?" he asked her, raising a brow.

"I . . . you . . . UGH!" She stomped off, her little cronies following her. I sighed.

"Seriously, girls these days are so _dumb_," I muttered, shaking my head. I turned to face Tamaki, Kyoya, and the other two boys.

"Thank you for that," I said, running a hand through one of my pigtails. "I guess even at rich kid schools you get girls like her." I looked at Kyoya and grinned. "Hi, Kyoya-senpai. What do you think of the uniform? Came out just right, didn't it?"

"It certainly looks like how you drew it," he said, smiling grudgingly.

"Whaaat? You know her, Kyoya?" asked Tamaki, looking between us. Then, he got an "aha!" look on his face. "Oh, you must be Gwenivere Beilschmidt!" he said, smiling at me. He pulled a white rose out of somewhere and presented it to me, taking my hand and raising it to his lips. "It is a pleasure to meet you, mademoiselle. And may I say that you are the picture of American beauty? Such fire and passion~!"

I took the rose and quirked my head; I looked at Kyoya. "Is he always like this?" I asked.

He smiled pleasantly. "Yes, usually."

"Huh, "I said, looking back at Tamaki. I quirked my head to the side. "Are you French or something?"

He looked shocked and dropped my hand. "How did you know?" he asked.

I chuckled sarcastically. "Oh, _trust me_, anyone could see it, Tamaki-senpai. You act French," I said, smirking.

"Waaah~! You must be really smart, Gwen-chan!" said the short boy. "It's nice to meet you! I'm Mitsukuni Haninozuka! And this," he added, holding up his bunny, "is Usa-chan!"

I grinned. "Omigod, that has got to be the cutest bunny I've ever seen!" I said. "Can I cuddle it for a quick minute?" I asked, silently begging with my eyes.

"Sure! Hehe!" he said, handing Usa-chan over. I hugged it and sighed.

"Ah~! So soft~," I breathed. I took a quick sniff. "Do I smell strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting and vanilla glaze on this?"

Mitsukuni-senpai looked surprised, then grinned. "Yep! That's what I had last night after dinner! You could smell it?" he asked, his expression full of awe.

"My mom is a baker, so I know my cakes and other goodies," I explained. Then, I grinned. "And I'm usually the one in the house that steals them from the kitchen at midnight to munch on them in my room, hehehe. My mom gets _sooooo_ mad!" I giggled. "Ah, I can still taste last night's gateau chocolat . . . that one was good."

"You eat cake at midnight, too!?" he asked, eyes wide and sparkling. "So do I!"

"Remember to brush your teeth," the tall one said to him quietly. His voice made me shiver slightly; it was so _deep_ and resonating . . .

"I know, Takashi," said Mitsukuni. "Oh! Introduce yourself, Takashi!" he added, smiling brightly.

"I'm Takashi Morinozuka," he said quietly, looking me in the eye. I fought to keep from fainting at the sound of his voice.

"A pleasure to meet you, Takashi-senpai," I said, smiling. All of a sudden, I felt two arms fall onto my shoulders.

"Oh, it's just you guys," said the twins simultaneously.

"I told you so," said Haruhi, coming up next to Kaoru.

"Haruhi~!" said Tamaki, smiling like a kid on Christmas morning. He went to hug her, but she held her hand out to stop him. "Haruhi . . . . " he muttered, tearing up.

I facepalmed. "Yep, he's French, all right," I murmured. Takashi and Mitsukuni seemed to have herd me, cuz they both smiled slightly, the latter trying not to and biting his lip to prevent it.

"Anyhow, Miss Beilschmidt," said Tamaki, over his bout of sadness, "how would you like to come to the third music room after school today?" He smiled genuinely at me.

"I dunno," I said. "Mum wanted Alaina and I home after school . . . But I guess I can go," I added, seeing the sad expressions that were forming on Tamaki's, Mitsukuni's, and the twins's faces. "But Alaina will have to come with me so I don't forget her or whatever."

"The more, the merrier!" said Tamaki. The bell rang, signalling the end of lunch. "I look forward to seeing you later, Prinzessin Beilschmidt!" he said as him and the other three walked away.

I sighed. "Quick question," I said as Haruhi, the twins, and I walked back to class. "Is he _seriously_ that . . . flamboyant all the time?"

"Yes," they all said at once.

"I think I might kill him, then," I groaned, thinking, _If I have to deal with that kind of flashiness all afternoon later, I'm gonna die . . . _

_But, _I added, blushing slightly, _I might see Takashi and Mitsukuni again. They seem so nice . . . and Takashi . . . _

I stopped my line of thought, shaking my head and fighting the ruby red blush that was most likely on my face.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: In this chapter, Gwen and Alaina will be speaking in both German and English. This is the way to know which they're speaking:

**_bold italic_** German

**regular bold = **English

Alrighty, then, let's get this show in the road!

~ vampireXgirl13X

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Chapter 3: Ane ōkami to imōto no mausu

( Big Sister Wolf and Little Sister Mouse )

The rest of the day passed quietly; just like back in America, math class sucked ass. I had to take four pages of notes, front and back. My hand was killing me by the end of the day. When the final bell rang, I stood and stretched, cracking my knuckles.

"Ugh . . . math sucks," I said. "It's much harder over here than back in America . . ."

"You'll survive if you study," said Haruhi. "If you need any help, feel free to ask me." She smiled.

"Thanks Haru," I said, smiling back in relief. "So, the third music room? What's in there?"

"Oh, you know," started Hikaru.

"A wonderful place filled with a garden of female delights," finished Kaoru.

"So, a male harem?" I asked bluntly. "It's either that or a room filled with chocolate."

The three of them deadpanned and sighed. "Well, although it would technically be counted as a male harem," said Haruhi, "it's called a Host Club."

"Oh, yeah, I've heard of those," I said. "There are a shit ton of mangas out there with stuff like that in them. I'm pickin' up what you're layin' down. And you guys are in it?" I asked.

"Yep!" answered the twins cheerfully.

"Yes," said Haruhi, a little reluctantly. "_They're_ the reason why I'm stuck acting like this."

"Oh," I said. I glanced at the clock. "Tell me about it later, 'kay? Imma go get Alaina from the middle school building. The third music room is in the second building, right?"

"Yeah," said Haruhi. "Just go up to the second floor and follow the sound of squealing girls."

I chuckled. "Okay, I gotcha," I said. I tossed my bag over my shoulder. "I'll be there in about ten or twenty minutes, mmmkay?"

I left the room and made my way over to the middle school building. I got a little lost trying to find her classroom, but I got there with the help of a couple of younger students. When I got there, I looked inside.

The room was empty except for a boy with honey-toned hair and topaz eyes that were covered by glasses. I knocked on the doorframe.

He looked up and said, "Yes?"

"Hi, I'm looking for Alaina Beilschmidt," I said. "She's my little sister. Did you see where she went?"

"Oh, the new girl," he said, a very light blush forming on his cheeks. "Yeah, she went outside to talk to some girls from D class or whatever."

"Oh, okay," I said. "Thanks!"

I went down the hall and went outside, looking around everywhere. I finally spotted her against the wall, surrounded by three girls. But that wasn't what made me suddenly see everything in red.

They were ganging up on her and beating the living shit outta her!

"HEY! GET THE MOTHERFUCK AWAY FROM MY SISTER, BITCHES!" I yelled, running over.

They looked up in slight surprise, then two blurs suddenly went past me and got to the girls before I did. They were Mitsukuni and Takashi.

They held the girls by their wrists, twisting their arms behind them. Takashi held two, while Mitsukuni held the other. I smiled slightly and went to Alaina, who was crouching on the ground and crying.

**"Alaina, are you alright? They didn't hurt you too bad, did they?"**I asked. **"What happened, ****_Schwester_****?"**

**"They . . . *hic* they heard me telling people how I can play so many instruments and all that stuff, and *hic* and they said that they thought it was cool and *hic* they brought me outside, then . . . then . . . *hic-sob* then they started calling me a freak and they started beating me** **up!" **she said, crying some more. She huffed for a few seconds, then continued.

**"And I tried to fight back like you taught me, sissy, but I just couldn't! They were beating me up so much . . . ." **she shuddered and shed a few more silent tears. I hugged her close to me, being careful of any injuries she might have. Then, I pulled back a little to look at her face and see how she was.

Her grey-blue eyes her red from crying, and her long mahogany hair was messy and a little tangled. She had a few bruises forming on her cheeks, and her lip was bleeding. On closer inspection, I could see a few on her arms and legs as well. I gripped her shoulders and took a deep breath.

_**"Go to the second building at the high school and follow the sound of squealing girls,"**_I said calmly. **_"There, you will find the Host Club. Tell them that you are my little sister, and they will take care of you, okay? I'm going to take care of these fucking bitches now, okay?"_**

She nodded and wiped her nose. I dug out a hanky and gave it to her. "We'll meet you there, okay? Go there and chill out. Ask for Haruhi, okay?" I instructed. "Oh, and you'll notice something about Haruhi that you MUST keep quiet, okay? It's a secret."

The nodded, looking a little confused. "Okay, sis," she said. I stood and helped her up. I watched her walk away, and I noticed that she had a slight limp. I growled, then spun and faced the three bitches who had beat her up.

"You're all lucky that I haven't killed you yet," I hissed. "Hell, you're all lucky that I haven't skinned you alive and thrown your corpses to the _dogs_; after all, it would make no difference. Bitches should be with their own kind, don't you think?"

Two of them glared at me, while another laughed under her breath. I narrowed my eyes and took her from Takashi. "You think this is fucking funny, bitch?!" I growled. I calmed down and peered down at her with cold eyes. "Well, since you think this is _sooooo_ funny, how about we share it with the Headmaster? I've been told he has a _superb_ sense of humour."

At this, they all visibly paled. I dragged the girl behind me by her wrists, gripping them in my right hand tightly. I felt rather than heard Mitsukuni and Takashi following behind me. We made our way to the Headmaster's office, and I opened the door, ignoring his secretary's protests.

I flung the girl into a chair in front of his desk, catching him even more by surprise. I took the other two from Takashi and Mitsukuni and sat them on either side of the first girl.

"Headmaster Suoh," I started. "I caught these girls beating the living crap out of my little sister."

I explained to him what Alaina had told me, and as I went on, he became more and more grim. At the same time, the girls became even paler.

"And that is what happened," I finished, crossing my arms.

"Well," he said, "I am very sorry that such a thing happened to your sister. Especially since this is both of your first days here. Extend my apologies to Miss Alaina as well. I will take care of these three." He stood and went to Takashi and Mitsukuni. "And I thank you two for helping Miss Gwenivere. I am sure she feels the same."

They both nodded, and the Headmaster ushered us out of his office. When we got out into the hallway, I heard the girls start to try and defend themselves, but they were cut off by a rough bark saying, "_SILENCE!"_

I smiled grimly to myself and let out a dark chuckle. "Serves them right," I muttered.

"Are you okay, Gwen-chan?" asked Mitsukuni, tilting his head. I sighed.

"Yes, for the most part," I answered. "But the very thought that someone would want to do that to my sister . . ." I trailed off, feeling bitter tears form in my eyes. I blinked them away and took a deep breath. "But seriously, thank you both so much for being there," I said, smiling slightly at them. "I might've actually killed them if you two hadn't been there," I added, chuckling.

"So, you know how to fight?" asked Mitsukuni.

"Yes," I answered. "I took kendo classes and I used to watch WWE. Add to that the fact that my Uncle Nate taught me a little kickboxing, and I could potentially maim someone."

"Oooh! Takashi's in kendo, too!" said Mitsukuni cheerfully. "He's the captain of the club!"

"Wow," I said, looking up at the taller boy and fighting the urge to fangirl. "I'd be lying if I said I was surprised, though. I can tell that you're mad strong, but you have discipline and control."

He gave me a small smile, looking me in the eye; his were shining with pride and gratitude and, yet again, they seemed to go straight to my soul. I ducked my head and fought the ruby red blush blooming on my face.

_Dear Mother Goddess,_ I thought to myself. _He's . . . . he's so . . . . so fucking HOT. _

We kept walking, and I pulled out my great-grandpapa's pocket watch to check the time: it was 3:32.

"Wow! That's so pretty!" said Mitsukuni, looking at it in awe.

I chuckled. "Thank you. It belonged to my great-grandpapa, Goddess rest his soul," I said. "The design on it is the old Beilschmidt coat of arms. The shield itself represents protection, and the two swords crossed behind it pay homage to how our ancestors were a part of the Teutonic Knights. The fours quadrants each have a different animal in it: a deer, a bear, a fox, and a wolf. Those were the four branches of the family."

I tucked the watch away and continued, "My family is descended from the sister whom the wolf represented. Our family has the tradition of tracking the family through the women. After all, while a father may always be in question, one always knows their mother."

"Interesting," said Takashi, surprising me. "The wolf suits you," he continued.

"Mhmm," said Mitsukuni, nodding emphatically. "You're just like a mama wolf!"

I threw my head back and laughed. "Thanks," I said, putting my arm around his shoulders. "Each branch of the family also had their own coat of arms. If you ever go to my house, you'll see it on the front gate. It looks badass!"

They both chuckled, and I was enthralled with the deep rumble that came from Takashi.

I sighed. _He's gonna be the death of me,_ I thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Keiji to kimyōna shurui no hirameki

(Revelations and Epiphanies of the Weirdest Kind)

We made our way to the second building and up the stairs to the second floor. I heard the sound of squealing girls, and I chuckled and sighed.

"Is it always that bad?" I asked, grinning at them.

"It's not too bad," said Mitsukuni, sounding older than he looked, and a little deeper, too. "They just like being doted on and flattered by all of us. It makes them happy; and that _is_ the mission of the Host Club, after all. To make every girl who steps over the threshold of Music Room 3 as happy as they can possibly be."

"Ya know, Mitsukuni-senpai," I said, "you're pretty damn wise. I think that's a treat for someone who looks as young as you look. It's unexpected to some people, which makes it a great weapon to use against people who think they're better than you." I paused, then smiled down at him. "But I had a feeling that behind that freakin' adorable exterior, there was a mature, badass adult."

He chuckled. "You're probably the first girl to actually realize that, Gwen-chan," he said. "The only other person who fully gets that is Takashi."

"Eh, well, at least you got us!" I said skipping ahead of them. I twirled to face them. "So, when it's just us three or whatever, feel free to let out that awesome adult that's in you, mmmkay? Even if my sis and mum are around, too. They're pretty perceptive, too, so don't be afraid to just be yo awesome self! Got it?"

He seemed surprised, then smiled and said, "Of course. Thank you, Gwen-chan."

~ P.o.V Change (lol) Takashi ~

"Are you sure you're okay, Schwester?" asked Gwenivere, peering down at her sister in concern.

"Jeez, I'm fine, Gwen," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'm not _that_ breakable."

"W-well, still," said Gwenivere stubbornly, crossing her arms. "You could've been seriously hurt . . ." she added in a mumble.

I stood behind the sofa that she, Alaina, and Mitsukuni were sitting on. I put a hand on her shoulder in comfort; she looked up at me, confused at first, then smiled a thank you. I noted a slight pink coat her cheeks as she smiled, and my throat tightened unexpectedly.

_Why does she do this to me?_ I thought to myself as I pulled my hand back slowly to my side. _She will be the death of me if this keeps up._

There was no doubt that she was pretty; wait, that didn't describe her the right way. She _was_ pretty, but there was something about her that made her seem . . . fluid, and ethereal. She seemed to move without seeming to move. Her hair was an unusual color; you didn't see that shade of natural blood red in Japan. And her eye color was a novelty as well; they seemed to be a milky-green color that reminded me of the sea before a storm.

Damn it, those eyes! Whenever she looked at me, I felt almost naked, like she could see right through me. They seemed to peer right into my very soul. I had the feeling that I didn't even have to speak for her to know what I wanted to say, not that I talk a lot anyways. But with her, she seemed to have the ability to say one thing, but have her eyes say even more than that.

Like earlier, when she made that announcement to Mitsukuni, her words said something as simple as "be yourself." But her eyes seemed to say that no matter what his true self was, that she would accept it and even cherish it. And for that, she earned my utmost respect . . . and something else that I couldn't give a name to.

"Do you want some more cake, Alaina-chan?" asked Mitsukuni.

"Oh, no thank you, Senpai," she said politely, smiling. Then, she became grave. "Mitsukuni-senpai, Takashi-senpai . . . I want to thank you for helping me. Thank you . . . so much."

"Awwwheh, don't mention it, Alaina-chan!" said Mitsukuni, smiling brightly. "We only wanted to help; right Takashi?"

"Yeah," I said, smiling a little and rubbing Alaina's head.

She smiled at the both of us, and I could see the similarity between her and Gwenivere when she did so.

"In any case," said Kyoya, coming to stand me, "rest assured that those three girls will be kept an eye on. We can't have delinquents like them ruining the reputation of the school like that."

Gwenivere snorted a laugh. "Riiiiight," she said. "_That's_ the reason you're gonna have your family's police do a full sweep of those chicks' lives and background." She shook her head and sighed, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"I haven't the slightest idea of what you're talking about," said Kyoya, scribbling something in his little black book. However, I could see how his eyes showed slight surprise at her comment.

"Despite the circumstances that we are meeting under," said Tamaki, standing in front of the sofa, "I welcome you both to the Host Club, Little Miss Beilschmidt and Big Sister Beilschmidt!"

He did one of his exuberant poses, and Gwenivere sighed. "Total Frenchman," she murmured, shaking her head.

"You're tellin' me," whispered Alaina, chuckling.

~ P.o.V Change (again lol) Gwenivere ~

I looked around the club room, taking in the simple but elegant decorations and architecture. The sofa was pretty damn comfy, too.

"Mmmm . . . chocolate cake," I said on a sigh, lifting another bite to my mouth. It was a rather big one, but I still got it all in and swallowed. The twins were passing by and stopped to look at me, a weird look on their faces.

"What?" I asked. "Never seen a girl go at her cake?"

They then looked at each other and grinned. I promptly got a bad feeling; they were up to something.

"Gwen, you missed a little chocolate," said Hikaru, leaning over me.

"Huh? Where?" I asked, lifting my hands to my face.

"Right . . ." started Kaoru, leaning in.

"Here," they said, licking the corners of my mouth. I sat there, slightly squirming.

A quiet, low growl from behind me startled me a little, but the twins didn't seem to notice as they straightened.

"Guys, you do know that that's sexual harassment, right?" I asked, sighing.

"Eh? But you had the chocolate in such prime spots," they said. "We couldn't help it."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. "Still, don't do it again," I said. "If you do, I won't hesitate to punch you between the legs."

"So violent!" said Kaoru, sighing.

"How about we settle this in a more fun way?" asked Hikaru.

"How about we play . . ." started Kaoru.

"The 'Which one is Hikaru Game'?" they finished simultaneously.

"Fine, I'll take you up on that," I said, smirking. "If I win, you promise to never sexually harass me again."

"Okay," said Kaoru.

"But if we win," said Hikaru, grinning mischieviously.

"We get to dress you up in whatever we want for a whole day!" they finished.

"Deal," I said, crossing my arms.

They spun and twirled and swapped places a few times, then they grinned at me and said, "Now, which one is Hikaru?"

I looked between them, then closed my eyes and smiled. "Heh, it's so painfully obvious," I said. I opened my eyes. "The one on my right is Hikaru, the one on my left is Kaoru."

"Nope, you got it wrong~!" they said.

"Nuh uh, you know I'm right," I said. "Just cuz you two look the same doesn't mean you _are_ the same. Even a blind person could see that."

They looked genuinely shocked, which I gathered didn't happen very often. They looked at each other, then at me, saying nothing.

I shrugged, then stood and walked around the room, looking at the walls. "They look so bare," I muttered, placing a hand on one. I sighed. "What I wouldn't give to decorate them . . . ."

"Do you mean that, Miss Beilschmidt?"

I turned at the voice and nearly jumped out of my bones when Kyoya was suddenly right next to me. I huffed a breath. "Jegus fackin' Christ, don't _DO_ that, Kyoya-senpai!" I said, mock-punching his arm. "You nearly took ten years offa me!"

"My apologies," he said. "But did you mean what you just said?"

"What? Oh, about decorating the walls?" I said. "Well, it was a stray thought, but they would look nicer with some portraits or some nice landscape paintings . . . ." I trailed off, my mind picturing what they would look like.

"Oh no," said Alaina. "Gwen's in lala land, daydreaming about paintings."

I turned and stuck my tongue out at her and giving her a rasberry. "You do the same thing with music, you twit," I countered. "So there. Mleh."

"I have a proposition for the both of you," said Kyoya. "I discussed it with Tamaki, and he has no objections. I would like it if you two could add a little more of an . . . artsy feel to the room. You with your paintings," said Kyoya, looking at me, "and you with your music," he finished, looking at Alaina.

"Hmm," said Alaina, rising to stand next to me. We faced him, and I could practically hear the other members holding their breath to see what our answer would be.

"What's in it for us, aside from your guys's awesome company?" I asked, my eyes piercing him.

"Yeah; after all," continued Alaina with a grin, "while we loves you guys, we _do_ expect something in return. It doesn't have to be anything big."

"All it has to do is make us happy," I finished. "And don't worry, it don't take much to make us happy; we enjoy the simple things in life."

"Yeah," said Alaina. "We weren't always this wealthy, you know. We still have the 'commoner' state of mind."

"What do you two want?" asked Kyoya, looking the slightest bit wary.

"I want to be a sort-of Hostess," I announced. "While you guys are amazing with the girls, sometimes a girl just needs to talk to another girl. Plus," I added, "some girls also have a more . . . wide preference range, if you get my meaning?"

Kyoya looked shocked, then turned to look at Tamaki. "What do you think?" he asked.

Tamaki also seemed surprised. "Well . . . I have been wondering if we should open up the Host Club to a bigger range of people," he admitted, rubbing his chin. "With a Hostess, we could get more customers that are male. But," he said, looking at me, "if a girl does request you, are you gonna be able to act like you're attracted to her?"

"Pshaw, it won't take much," I said. "I'm attracted to both genders anyways."

The room was silent, then Tamaki broke it by saying, "Well . . . um, okay then. I guess we have a deal!"

"All I want is the available space that I would need to compose new music," said Alaina.

"There's a back room where you can work!" said Mitsukuni.

She and I looked at each other, then we grinned. "You gots a deal," we said simultaneously.

~ P.o.V Change (yet again lol) the Twins (3rd person) ~

After club was over, everyone left to go home. As Hikaru and Kaoru sat in their car, Kaoru spoke up.

"Hey, Hikaru," he said. "Did you see Mori's face when we licked Gwen's face?"

"Yeah, I wondered about that," said his twin. Then, they grinned at each other.

"This is an interesting revelation," they said simultaneously, a mischievious glint in their eyes.

"I think," started Hikaru.

"That Mori-senpai," continued Kaoru.

"Has a little crush on our fine American Rose," they finished.

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A/N: Well, there it is! As requested, I put in the "Which One is Hikaru?" Game (^_^) I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I know I kind of had Tamaki a little OOC with the whole thing of having Gwen flirt with other girls, since he finds lesbians or lesbian-like activity shell-shocking in the manga/anime.

i also hope that this OC is an improvement form my last one lol (^_^') Thank you for reading Sairen to Samurai; more is soon to come! *hugs for EVERYONE!*


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Āmātaipushainingu no kishi

(The "Knight In Shining Armor" Type)

The next day, I woke up and jumped out of bed, barely containing my excitement. A knock sounded on my door.

"Miss Gwen? May I come in?"

"Go ahead, Isolde," I said. When she came in, I continued, "And how many times have I told you not to call me that? Just call me Gwen; you're practically my adopted older sister anyways."

"That wouldn't be proper of me, now would it?" she asked, smiling. "I am your maid, after all. And I owe you and your mom for taking me in."

I sighed. "Isolde, that was ten years ago," I said, getting my uniform out. "And me and mum have said that you don't owe us anything, silly. Oh, here's a copy of the notes I took yesterday. I'll help you go over them later, mmkay?"

She took the papers I held out for her and smiled wider. "Thank you for doing this," she said.

"Hey, it's the least I can do," I said, pulling my pants up. "You never went to school, and that's mostly so you could take care of me and Alaina. Everyone deserves an education, hon. Even at 22 years old," I added, chuckling.

She sighed and I could feel her grinning. "Anyhow, breakfast is ready, Miss Gwen," she said, exiting my room.

I facepalmed. "Why does she keep calling me that?" I groaned, finishing getting dressed.

Alaina and I arrived at school and parted ways at the front gate.

"I'll see you later, _Schwester_," I said. "Remember, club starts at 3, so be there early to set up, okay?"

"I got it, I got it," she called over her shoulder as she walked away. She then turned and started to run to someone, waving and yelling, "Hey! Yasuchika-kun! Wait up!"

I shook my head, chuckling. "Ah, she already made a friend," I said, walking inside. The guys had told me that they wanted to see me during free period to discuss what "type" I was. I honestly had no idea what that meant, so I'd just said sure and hoped that it would be explained to me.

I made my way to the music room, and everyone was already there except Haruhi.

"Yo, mornin' guys," I said, flopping my bag in an empty chair. "Where's Haru?"

"Not here yet," said the twins.

"Anyhow," said Kyoya, pushing his glasses up, "we need to figure out what type you are, Miss Beilschmidt."

"Seriously, Kyoya-senpai, just call me Gwen," I said. "It makes me feel old and formal when you call me that."

He smiled slightly. "Of course, Gwen," he said. "Back to the matter at hand, we brought in someone to help us out with finding your type."

"Hohohoho~!"

I look behind him to see a girl about my age with long amber hair with a bow and matching eyes. "So this is the girl you were talking about, Kyoya!" she said in a giddy voice. "The girl who's into the forbidden love between women~!"

"Wha?" I asked, raising a brow. "Who are you? Wait, aren't you in my class?"

"Yes I am, Miss Gwen!" she said, coming to stand in front of me. She grabbed my hands and looked me in the eye. "I'm Renge Houshakuji!"

"Oh yeah," I said. "It's, uh, nice to meet you, Renge . . . Now, moving on, what exactly did you guys mean by finding my 'type'? I don't get it."

"I can explain that!" said Renge. "As you can see, the Host Club offers a variety of guys who are all different. Each one of them has a type: Honey is the 'boy Lolita' type, Tamaki is somehow the 'princely' type, Haruhi is the 'natural' type, Hikaru and Kaoru are the 'mischievious' type, Kyoya is the 'cool' type, and Mori is the 'wild' type. Now we just need to figure out what yours is!"

"Oh. Okay, _now_ I get ya," I said, finally understanding. "So, how are you gonna figure out my type?"

"Simple observation and a few questions!" she said, a gleam in her eyes. "Okay, first! You decided to take the male uniform and make it girly! This is a key point to your appearance!"

"Second!" she said, letting me go and circling around me slowly. "You're quite tall; just how tall are you, for the record?"

"Uhm . . . let's see. In American measurements, I'm five foot, seven inches, so that equals . . . A hundred and seventy point two centimeters," I said, calculating it in my head. "I tower over everyone in the house," I added, chuckling.

"Third!" she said, coming to a halt in front of me. "You have a very strange hair color that almost resembles blood, which almost reminds one of the Celtic Queen Boudicca!"

"Well, I _am_ Scottish and Irish, aside from being German," I explained. "Plus a little Romanian and Norwegian."

"So you have many ancestors who were fierce fighters," said Renge, looking as if she was thinking very hard.

"Actually, you're right," I said. "Some of my German ancestors were actually a part of the Order of Teutonic Knights."

"Interesting," she murmured, circling me again. "Tell me, do you have a strong sense of honor?"

"But of course," I said, slightly surprised by her question. "What is a person without their honor?"

"Do you have romantic tendencies?" she asked.

"W-well . . . ." I said, feeling myself blush, "I-I _do_ love me a good romance novel . . . . And I must admit to being a bit of a sap when it comes to romance movies. I seriously cry buckets," I confessed, rubbing the back of my neck while grinning sheepishly.

"Lastly," she said, coming to a stop in front of me once again, "would you fight to protect what you hold most dear?"

"You have no idea," I said, smiling grimly. "I'd fight to the death, if need be, for those who I care about. And I'm very passionate about that, too."

"I have a diagnosis!" she said, pointing to the sky.

"Eh? Already?" I said, surprised.

"You, Gwenivere Beilschmidt, are the 'Knight in Shining Armor' type!"

". . . ." I was stunned, so I couldn't really find the words to say how I felt about that . . .

"That's so true!" said Mitsukuni, smiling brightly.

"Yeah," said Takashi, nodding in agreement.

I looked over at them and smiled wryly. "You guys think I'm some sort of knight in shining armor?" I asked, smirking.

"You know," said Tamaki, "I can see that; I can just picture you brandishing a sword to protect a damsel in distress, holding her close as you vow to fight for her to the death~!" He rambled on, getting more and more grandiose; I chose to ignore him.

"Kyoya-senpai? What do you think?" I asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"Well . . . Renge _is_ quite knowledgeable in this area," he said. "And she's hardly ever wrong."

"And if your ancestors used to be knights," started Hikaru, putting an arm around my waist.

"Then it only makes that much more sense," finished Kaoru, putting an arm around my shoulders.

"Yes! You are like a modern Joan of Arc!" stated Tamaki, his eyes blazing. "And you would definitely compliment me; after all, if the girls can chose between a 'prince' and a 'knight,' then it will be all the more enchanting!"

I could see where he was coming from, and where everyone else as coming from, too. "Okay, I'll bite," I said. "What do I have to do to play up on my 'knight' role?" I asked Renge.

"Follow the principles of courtly love!" she said vehemently. "Follow it to a T!"

"Hmmm . . . Can I sometimes flip between being a kind knight to being a slightly naughty knight, depending on who my client is?" I asked. "Cuz, honestly, I think that would give me a little bit more dimension. And it would appeal to the more . . . risqué ladies in the school. Not to mention that, in all honesty," I added, smiling like a fox, "that's how I am anyways. No one can resist a fiery redhead." I chuckled.

"Oh, you are a GENIUS!" said Renge, hugging me tightly and spinning me around. "I never would have thought of that!"

"Can't . . . breathe . . . !" I gasped. "A little *cough* help, guys . . . ?"

All of a sudden, I was lifted into the air by two strong hands at my waist. I blinked in surprise, then looked and saw Takashi looking at me, concern in his gaze.

"Mori-senpai, you didn't have to go that far . . . ." said Tamaki.

"Waah! Gwen-chan was hefted like a bag of flour!" Mitsukuni giggled.

I, on the other hand, was trying _VERY_ hard not to blush like a little schoolgirl. "U-uhm, thanks, Takshi-senpai," I said. "You, uh, you can put me down now . . ."

" . . . Right," he said, hesitating a bit. He lowered me to the floor, and the warning bell rang.

"Aw, fuck my life! I'm gonna be late!" I said, grabbing my bag. "Range, Hikaru, Kaoru, get your butts in gear! We're gonna be late, dammit!"

The day seemed to pass slowly, yet fast at the same time. Before I knew it, it was two-thirty and I was heading to the club room with the twins; Haruhi was sent out to go get some more "commoner's ramen." After extracting a promise that she wouldn't be late, I let her leave to go do her thing.

When we got to the club room, I did a double-take at how it looked.

"Holy shit," I muttered.

The interior was designed to look almost like a Renaissance fair, with draperies hung on the walls and some small stall set up. Thye even had a corner that had an easel and paints with a bunch of canvases.

"THIS LOOKS SO FACKING COOL!" I said, jumping up and down like a little girl. "Omigoddess, this is so AMAZING!" I squealed in delight, then stopped, becoming embarrassed. "Dammit, I'm acting like a fangirl . . . ."

"Aha! Here's our little Da Vinci!"

I spun around to see Tamaki dressed in Renaissance-era French clothing. I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

"You . . . *pfft* you, uh, l-look . . . *pfft* look g-good, Tamaki-senpai," I said, barely holding in my giggles.

"I know, right?" he said, oblivious to my mirth. "Wait until you see what we got for you!"

"Wait, what?" I asked, becoming a little nervous.

~ P.o.V Change - Takashi ~

"Tama-chan said that he was gonna make the room look all Renaissance-like," said Mitsukuni. "I can imagine how cool it's going to look!"

"Hn," I said, my mind elsewhere.

Lifting Gwen into the air this morning was something I seriously did not expect to happen . . . But Renge _was_ smothering her. At least, that was the reason I was _trying_ to use to back up my actions. However, putting my hands around her waist . . . it just felt _right_. They fit perfectly there, like they were two pieces of a puzzle. And she was very light; well, to me at least. And the way she blushed so sweetly made my stomach go in knots and my throat close up.

And "Knight in Shining Armor"? She completely fit the role. She was fierce when needed, yet was very gentle with people. And when she'd admitted to being an utter romantic, my stomach did a backflip. After all, while I may not look it, even _I_ enjoyed a good romance novel.

I opened the door to the club room and tried to keep my stoic expression on my face.

_What . . . have they done?_ I thought to myself with an inward groan.

"Wooooow! How pretty!" said Mitsukuni, his eyes wide in wonder.

_Okay, it's not too bad, then_, I amended, seeing the happiness in his face. I smiled slightly and ruffled his hair.

He giggled and said, "Tama-chan said that our cosplays would be in the changing room waiting for us. I can't wait to see what he got us!"

He dragged me over to the changing room door and opened it wide. We each took a step inside without really looking at our surroundings, then a voice caught our attention.

"Jeez, guys, I never thought it would be _you two_ who would walk in on a girl changing," said Gwen. "I figured that the twins would pull something like that."

We both looked to the right slightly, and I felt a tomato-red blush coat my cheeks. Standing there was Gwen, clad only in a pair of white lace panties and a matching strapless bra, looking at us with a wry smile and a pink blush on her face.

"Oh! We're sorry, Gwen-chan!" said Mitsukuni. "We didn't think to knock; we've never really had to before."

"It's okay, but do you guys mind closing the door?" she asked, raising a brow sardonically. "You can either stay or go, but just close the door. I don't need to be ogled by the twins."

"We'll wait outside," I choked out, grabbing Mitsukuni and pulling him out, shutting the door with my free hand.

_OH. MY. GOD!_ I tried to calm the frantic beating of my heart and rid myself of my soul-eating guilt. _I just saw Gwen . . . in her underwear . . . _

I also tried to ignore how much the sight of her in said underwear made my thighs twitch and jaw clench.

When she came out a few moments later, she smiled at Mitsukuni and I. She wore a slightly feminine Teutonic Knight uniform from around the Renaissance era. She had a broadsword at her hip, and her hair was up in a high ponytail.

"Sorry you guys had to see that," she said, laughing.

"No, we should be the ones who are sorry," said Mitsukuni, using his mature voice. "We should've knocked."

"Yeah," I said quietly. "Sorry."

"Eh, it's fine," she said, waving it off.

"Although," said Mitsukuni, a small smile on his face, "I have to say, white suits you, Gwen-chan."

She laughed, clutching her stomach. She then snorted a little, and stopped.

"Oh crap! Dammit, I _hate_ my laugh!" she said, frustrated yet still laughing. She snorted once more, and I had to smile.

_Adorable_, was all I thought.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Sorezore jibun jishin ni

(To Each His Own)

Haruhi finally came back from her little "ramen run," and nearly collapsed when she saw the interior of the club room.

"Hiya, Haru!" I called, waving at her from my little corner. "Check me out! I'm a fem!Teutonic Knight! I be kickin' ass and takin' names! Muahahaha!"

"Oh God," she groaned, standing shakily. "Mom, what did I do to deserve this?" she muttered.

I got up and helped steady her so she wouldn't fall. "Don't worry, Haru," I said, leading her to the changing room. "You'll be fine. And your cosplay's inside. But you might need some help with it; there are a lot of pieces to it, and you might not know how to put them on or in what order."

She set the ramen down on a side table and looked at me, her face screaming helplessness. "Do you mind helping me, then?" she ased. "I don't trust the twins one bit to help me."

I threw my head back and boomed a laugh. "Hah! Of course; don't you worry," I said, leading her into the changing room. "Big sister Gwen will help you out."

After about ten minutes, Haruhi was all dressed. She was in a dull cranberry and tan Italian male courtesan outfit. She actually looked quite dashing, and I grinned at my handiwork.

"Voila!" I said, pulling her out to show everyone.

"Oh, you look so cute!" said Tamaki. "I could just eat you up~! Daddy is so proud!"

"Shut it, Senpai," she said bluntly, her expression in a somber-ish pokerface.

Tamaki went into his little emo-corner and began to mutter under his breath about an "ungrateful daughter" who was "cold as ice."

"Okay, Kyoya-senpai, where do you want me to set up?" I turned at the sound of Alaina's voice.

"Over there, on the small stage we put in," he answered. I saw that he was dressed as a British courtesan, wearing cooler colors of blue and gray.

"Alright," she said, lugging her electric keyboard over. She must've changed in the girl's bathroom, cuz she was already in a feminine minstrel outfit with a peasant skirt and billowy shirt, a tight vest over it. Her hair was in a long braid, and a crown of daisies adorned her.

"Aw! You look so adorbs, Alaina!" I said, grinning at her.

"Psh, yeah right," she said, rolling her eyes as she set up her keyboard. "You know I look more than just 'adorbs;' I look friggin' AWESOME."

I chuckled. "Of course, _Schwester_," I said, fiddling with my broadsword.

"Wow! You look pretty, Alaina-chan!"

I turned and saw Mitsukuni and Takashi coming towards us. Mitsukuni was dressed in a little court jester's outfit, with the colors all focusing on his personality: baby blue, spring green, and pink. I smiled when I saw him, then allowed my gaze to shift to Takashi.

_Don't blush, don't blush, whatever you do, DON'T BLUSH!_ I silently commanded myself. However, I wasn't surprised when that was impossible.

Takashi was dressed as a Teutonic Knight as well, but he _really_ knew how to wear the outfit. I mean, he _REALLY_ knew how to wear it. His broad chest and shoulders were very noticeable, and was it just me, or did the outfit make him look ever taller?!

"Wow," I said, unable to stop myself. "Damn, you guys look great! You look so adorable, Mitsukuni-senpai! And I must admit, even _I_ am slightly intimidated by you, Takashi-senpai!" I chuckled. "You wear that outfit better than I do for sure."

"Nuh-uh! You look great, Gwen-chan!" said Mitsukuni, a stubborn look on his cute face. "You look really cool! Right, Takashi?"

"Yeah. You look amazing," said the taller boy, his voice so low I could barely hear him. I could tell he was being sincere, though.

"D'aw! You two!" I said, waving their compliments away. "You guys are just buttering me up!" I chuckled, then glanced at the clock. "Oh! It's almost time!"

"Places, everyone," said Kyoya, straightening his glasses. He looked at me. "Gwen, I want you in between where I put Alaina and the corner filled with canvases."

"Oh. Okay," I said, going over and sitting on the log-like bench that was there. There were a couple more that sort of made a triangle with the one I was sitting on. Kyoya followed me over.

"And don't worry about not having any customers," he said, a small smile on his face. "We spread the word around about you becoming a hostess. Many of the people we told were _very_ eager to meet the, as they put it, 'fiery American rose with thorns'."

I covered my mouth to muffle my guffaws. "I *pfft* I guess I should *pfft* thank you," I said through my laughter.

"No need," he said, walking back over to his space. "It's only good advertisement and marketing."

"Riiiight," I said quietly, rolling my eyes.

When the clock struck 3 o'clock not two seconds later, the doors opened and we all said, "Welcome."

The girls, and a good amount of guys, poured in and gaped at the interior of the room. They talked amongst themselves about how nice the room looked. Then, everyone split up and went to each host. As they did so, Alaina began to play a Medieval-like melody on her keyboard, using the flute setting.

The boys made their way over to me, and I smiled. "Hello, boys," I said sweetly, but firmly. "Care to sit?"

~ P.o.V Change - Takashi ~

"-and last night, we had strawberry cheesecake for desert!" said Mitsukuni, smiling brightly.

I barely paid attention to what was going on; I was too focussed on Gwen and her clientelle.

"So, Gwen-chan, what do you like to do on your spare time?" one asked.

"Oh, I enjoy reading and writing," she said sweetly. "I also like to paint and do crafts." She picked up her tea and took a sip. She gazed at him from over the rim of the cup, smirking slightly. "After all, I'm quite good with my hands."

My throat tightened at the barely concealed innuendo.

The boy blushed and another spoke up. "What about your family? What do they do?"

"Well, as you can see, my sister Alaina is a musical genius," she said, looking over at her. The pride in her voice was palpable. "My mother is a baker. She owns and works in the Hidden Delights baked goods chain," she added, looking away from her sister. "The only other person in the house is our maid. She's sort of like an adopted older sister. Isolde likes to help me make clothes and she enjoys dancing."

"A maid as an older sibling?" asked another boy. "How does that even work?"

I was curious about that as well. _How does a maid get treated in such a high esteem?_ I wondered.

"Well," she said, becoming somber, "I guess you could say that my mom and I saved her." She smiled slightly and continued. "Back in the states when I was around six, mom's baking business was just getting started. We weren't as wealthy as we are now, but we were well off. I would go there everyday before and after school for . . . taste-testing purposes." She chuckled a little.

"Anyhow, on my way there, I was walking by one of the alleys and I heard a commotion," she said, her expression cloudy, as if she could see it happening all over again. "There was this middle-aged man towering over a little girl about twice my age. She was crying, and he was yelling at her saying things along the lines of, 'You'd better do whatever they pay you to do' and, 'You're just a little whore, no one gives a shit'. Being young," she said, her mouth becoming a thin line, "I didn't really understand what was happening, but I knew it was bad."

"That being said, I did the only thing I could think of: I got a hold of a trash can lid, and chucked it at the guys noggin," she said, half smiling, half smirking. "He got sooooo pissed! I started yelling at him and telling him that he was a 'meanie butt' and should 'stop being a mega, super jerk'. By that time, my mom was wondering where I was, so she peeked out and saw me on the sidewalk at the mouth of the alley."

"She thought I was about to get kidnapped, so she ran out and came to get me. But when she saw what was going on, she knew right away why the girl was crying. So," she said, grinning darkly, "she brandished the knife she had been using to cut strawberries, told him that if he even made one move that he'd lose his dick, and she called 911."

"The police came and got him, but the girl wouldn't leave me or mom's side," she said, her expression becoming tender. "The police asked if we would take her in, and mom and I looked at each other and said yes. Isolde has been with us ever since. She stayed home all the time to take care of the house; nothing me, mom, or Alaina said could make her go to school. She said that she just couldn't handle all the people. Given what happened to her, I can now understand."

"So, I give her a copy of my notes and homework assignments everyday so she can get an education," she concluded, smiling. "It's the least I can do for someone who took care of me when mom wasn't home or had to go somewhere. She's my favorite, un-official older sister."

By this time, everyone in the room had gone quiet to listen to her. When she finished, sniffles and light sobs could be heard.

"Gwen, you are such a saint~!" said Tamaki, sliding his way next to her. "Truly a more kind and noble woman has ever existed~!"

"Nah, I'm not that great," she said, blushing slightly. "But thank you, Senpai."

"No he's right!" said one of the boys in front of her.

"You're such a nice person, taking a poor girl in like that!" said another, slight tears in his eyes.

"Can we request you tomorrow, to?" asked another.

"Oh! Of course," she said, smiling. "I like talking to you guys."

"Can we request you, too?!" cried a bunch of girls, stars in their eyes.

Gwen stood and walked over to them, stopping to kneel at their feet. "If that is your wish, my dears, then it is my command," she said, winking at them. "After all, it is a knight's duty to serve his or her Princesses."

They all blushed and giggled, speechless.

~ on the way home ~

"Gwen-chan sure has a way with people," said Mitsukuni, looking out the window.

"Yeah," I said.

In truth, I was in complete awe of her. She was an enigma; she displayed a huge amount of confidence, yet blushed at the slightest compliment. She held her own against the guys, yet could also make the ladies swoon. She could display tenderness and pride, yet her smile at the memory of her mother threatening that man with a knife nearly gave me chills. It was amazing how she could be made of so many different emotions and switch between them so effortlessly.

_She is . . . . _I thought to myself, _she is . . . . different. Yet, there's no doubt about it: she is one hundred percent girl . . . . I can personally attest to that . . ._

I trailed off, the memory of her clad in only her white lacy bra and panties making my thighs twitch and breath hitch.

"Are you kay, Takashi?" asked Mitsukuni, looking at me. "You look really flushed."

"I'm fine," I said.

_But not as _fine_ as Gwen is~,_ teased my inner voice.

_Shut up_, I growled mentally, hating that I didn't disagree with it.

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(A/N: Hi guys! another chapter done and posted! Whoo! \(^o^)/ Anyhow, a lemon may or may not appear in the next chapter . . . You'll just have to wait and see to find out! Until then, thank you for reading Sairen to Samurai; tell me how you're liking it so far in the reviews! (^_^) )


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Anata no yume o miru

(Dreaming of You)

I was in the club room alone, setting up to start painting. As I filled up a jar with water, I heard the door open.

I turned and saw Takashi walk in, unaccompanied by Mitsukuni. This struck me as odd; were they ever apart? I brushed it off and smiled at him.

"Hi Takashi-senpai," I said. I walked back to my easel and put the jar down. "What's up?"

"Nothing," he said, suddenly behind me. "I wanted to watch you paint."

I jumped slightly in surprise; how did he get over here so fast? Again, I brushed it off and chalked it up to him being a total ninja.

"Oh. Okay," I said. "I usually listen to my music when I paint; I hope you don't mind." I plugged my iPod into my iHome and put the volume at a reasonable level.

"No. It's fine," he said.

I put on one of Lindsey Stirling's dubstep violin pieces, Moon Trance. I started painting a sunset scene in the forest with a elfin cottage nestled in the trees. I continued like this until the song was over, then it shuffled to another song. I was so absorbed in my painting that I didn't notice what song it had shifted to until I heard Takashi chuckle.

I turned to face him. "What's so funny?" I asked, confused.

He raised a brow slightly had pointed to my iPod. I looked and then realized that "Drop It Low" by Ester Dean was playing. I turned red all the way up to my ears.

"Oh my Goddess," I muttered, dropping my brush and running to change it to something else. In my panic, I accidentally put it on repeat and locked it. "Shit!" I squeaked.

_Oh, Nyx, how embarassing!_ I thought to myself. I sneaked a peek at Takashi from the corner of my eye. He was looking at my painting; it had the rough image for what I wanted already on it. Then, he looked at the floor. I followed his gaze and nearly dropped in exasperation.

When I'd dropped my brush, it had fallen on the floor, leaving a very big splatter of light gray paint.

"Why is my luck gone today?" I muttered, running a hand through my hair. I sighed, then looked up at Takashi.

"I'll go get something to clean this up," I mumbled.

I went into one of the cupboards and found a dishcloth of sorts. I wet it and rinsed it out in the sink until it was only slightly damp. I went back to the stain and got on my hands ad knees to wipe it up. As i did so, I searched for something to talk about to fill the weird almost silence that had fallen.

"So, Takashi-senpai," I said, "something confuses me."

"Hm?" he said, seeming distracted.

"Well, Renge said you were the 'wild type,' and I'm not exactly sure how she came to that conclusion," I explained, kneeling a little lower to get some paint that had gotten under my easel.

There was a pause, then the sound of movement. "Do you want me to show you?"

I froze. His voice was right in my ear, and I became hyper-aware of the fact that his hands were on my hips, and that he was kneeling right behind me.

"W-wha-"

"Gwenivere," he murmured, his low voice sending shivers down my spine. "You make me not act like myself, you know." He sighed, his breath tickling my neck. "And I'm going insane because of you."

"I-I'm s-sorry," I stuttered, trying to keep my composure. I shivered, and he chuckled quietly.

"Gwenivere, why do you do this to me?" he asked, almost helplessly. "Whenever you are around me, I can hardly look at anyone or anything else. Every time you blush, I want to know why you do so, and how I can make you do it again. And when you act so carefree . . ." he paused, gripping my hips slightly tighter, "I damn near want to take you in my arms and never let you go."

I was stunned, and very pleased, at his words. I'd never heard him talk so much, and the things he was saying . . . .

"I-I feel the same sometimes," I muttered. "Whenever I see you smiling so softly at Mitsukuni-senpai, it makes my heart ache in a sweet way. When I hear you speak . . . your voice literally sends shivers down my spine." I paused, then turned red. "A-and . . . . when you look at me, I feel like you can see straight through me; like you can see my soul. It's very disconcerting . . . and, to be honest, it makes my heart stutter."

His grip around my hips tightened even more, and he let out a shuddering breath. "Damn it," he muttered.

Then, he turned me around and kissed me. It started off innocent, just him pressing his lips against mine, but it soon turned more carnal. I couldn't focus; his lips were driving everything but him from my mind. He traced my lower lip with his tongue, asking for entrance. I opened my mouth slightly in a gasp. He took advantage of it and thrust his tongue inside.

I half-moaned, half-whimpered; he left no place in my mouth untouched, his sure tongue running over my own. I immediately responded and pushed against his with my own, making him growl low in his throat. By this time, he had lowered me to the floor completely and hovered above me.

We broke apart for some much-needed air, staring at each other in wonder.

"Wow," I murmured, panting slightly.

He gave me a small smile, then lowered his lips to my throat, kissing, nipping, and sucking on the sensitive skin there. My back arched, pressing my chest against his.

"Ah! Takashi-senpai . . . !" I gasped quietly.

He lifted his head slightly. "Takashi," he said, his hands moving slowly to my chest.

"T-Takashi," I stuttered, loving the feel of his name rolling off my tongue.

He moaned at the sound, his hands reaching my breasts and kneading them almost roughly. I gasped again and moaned in pleasure. He put one leg in between mine, and and electric shock went through my body.

"Takashi!" I moaned.

"Gwenivere," he breathed, descending on my lips once more. He pushed his leg against my core and I arched beneath him, one of my own legs rubbing the bulge in his pants.

He gasped, breaking the kiss. His lips moved to my neck, biting me slightly. I groaned and bit him as well. This made him growl, sending shivers through my being. He rubbed his leg against me harder, and I did the same. I felt a coil start to tighten in the pit of my stomach.

"T-Takashi! Don't stop~!" I moaned.

He rubbed me even harder and claimed my mouth again, thrusting his tongue in and out, which reminded me of a similar rhythm as old as mankind.

My arms tightened around him, making our hips meet. When it did, I light blinded me.

"Takashi!"

"Gwenivere!"

I sat up suddenly, looking around.

_Oh,_ I thought to myself. _It was just a dream . . ._

However, I could feel a wetness between my legs that made me blush. "Oh crap," I muttered.

_Why must I dream of you?_ I thought, rising to take a cold shower.

~ P.o.V. Change - Takashi ~

I opened my eyes, sweating profusely. I sat up slowly, trying to come to my senses.

_A dream?_ I thought to myself, shaking my head to clear it.

However, looking down, I could see a small tent being formed by my blanket and immediately turned red in embarrassment and shame.

_Why must I dream of you?_ I thought, dragging myself out of bed and to the bathroom for a cold shower.

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( A/N: As promised, a lemon! But I wanted to do a more innocent-ish lemon, since they don't know each other well enough for anything more hardcore than that. And the idea of having them share a dream was something that I thought would enhance the idea that they are meant to be together. Let me know what you all thought! *hugs* /_^ )


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Beilschmidt shōen e yōkoso

(Welcome to Beilschmidt Manor)

The days went by effortlessly, but that dream haunted me every night. It sometimes changed, but the end result was always the same. It was very hard to look at Takashi without blushing or stammering, but I managed. After awhile, I just got used to the fact that I was completely enamored with him.

"Lady Gwen?" asked one of my more shy female customers. "W-what's your house like?"

I smiled tenderly at her, mentally shaking away my thoughts so I could answer. "I can't tell you how much Beilschmidt Manor is one of the best places on Earth to me, Sarako," I said. "It has a brick wall that goes around the property, and the front gate is made of wrought iron and has our family crest on it. The manor itself is of a modest size, but it's home."

"How many rooms are there?" asked another girl.

"Well, Setsuna, there are five bedrooms, each with their own bathroom and walk-in closet, the kitchen, the dining room, the living room, the game room, the music room, my studio, the rec. room, and the foyer," I said. "So, in total, around 18, if you count each bathroom."

"Wow, that is modest," she said.

"But the general size of the rooms is pretty big; we can fit a lot in each one," I said. "And aside from that, my mom has her greenhouse, and then there's the security building that has an underground panic room."

"Who runs the security?" asked another girl.

"Oh, I check the cameras about five times a day, Tsukiko," I answered. "On school days, though, my maid Isolde checks them in my stead."

"Wow," said Sarako. "You really _are_ like a knight, protecting your castle."

I smiled at her, looking her in the eye. "Indeed, I would protect my manor with my life," I said. "But, I feel conflicted, for if it came down to a choice whether to protect my home, or you lovely ladies, I would choose the more beautiful of the two."

I winked, and they went into a moe moment. Even Tamaki was in awe of my skills, as was Kyoya.

When club was over, I helped to take care of the leftover dishes and such, Haruhi and Alaina helping me. All of a sudden, I felt eyes burning a hole in my back. I turned around and saw the rest of the club looking at me, except Takashi; he was just standing there.

"What?" I asked, feeling a bit nervous.

"It has come to our attention that we have not been to your house yet, Gwen and Alaina ," said Kyoya smoothly.

"Yeah. So what?" asked Alaina, just as confused as I was.

"We wanna go over to your place!" said the Twins, Tamaki, and Mitsukuni all at once. They beamed at us, and I fought to say no.

"W-well . . . . ," I said, looking down at Alaina. She shrugged, and I sighed. "Okay, you guys can come over for dinner and to hang out."

"YAY!"

"BUT," I added, getting serious, "you guys WILL behave yourselves, got it? No snooping around or touching everything you see. Some of the stuff in my manor is very old; it belonged to my ancestors."

"Of course!" said Tamaki. He sighed longingly. "Ah, to be able to see my beloved daughters' house~!"

"Tamaki-senpai, you ain't our dad," Alaina and I said simultaneously, giving him a glare.

And into the emo-corner he went . . . .

~ 20 minutes later . . . ~

"Well, here we are," I said, getting out of my VW 1969 bus. Everyone filed out the side door.

"Wow, Gwen-chan," said Mitsukuni, wide-eyed. "Your family crest is so COOL!"

I chuckled. "Thanks, Senpai," I said.

The crest had a wolf in the middle of a shield, with two swords crossed behind the shield itself. In the field behind the wolf, there were 13 stars and a waning crescent moon. The wolf, if you looked real close, had a necklace and a diadem on. They both had similar crystals on each one as a centerpiece, and the crystal on the necklace had a swirl inside it.

"It's nice," said Takashi quietly, giving me a sidelong glance. I smiled.

"Thanks," said Alaina and I.

Soon, the rumble of a motorcycle could be heard. "Oh! Mom's home early!" I said, smiling.

"I'll open the gate," said Alaina. She took out her key and put it in the hidden lock at the wolf's front paw, and the gate clicked. She opened it wide just in time for mom to zoom through.

". . . . that was your mother?" asked Kyoya in a deadpan voice.

"Mhm," I said, getting back in the driver's seat. "I gotta go park this; get on in."

They got in and I drove it to the front of the house, parking it behind my mom's Harley-Davidson. I cut the engine and got back out again, the rest following suit.

"Oh yeah," said Alaina. "Something about our mom . . ."

"She's a bit . . . ," I said, hesitating. "Well, she's really affectionate. She gives hugs, not handshakes."

"And she already knows your names," said Alaina. "After all, we talk about you guys a lot at home."

Haruhi tilted her head. "So, she knows I'm a girl?"

"Oh yeah," I said, leading them to the front door. "Like I said, even if we hadn't told her, she would've figured it out anyways. After all, Alaina and I had to get our mad skills of observation from _somewhere._"

I opened the door, and Isolde greeted us. "Welcome home, Miss Gwen, Miss Alaina." She smiled.

"Isolde," I said, sighing, "how many times have I told you just to call us by our first names?" I shook my head, then smiled. "Anyhow, these are our friends: Haruhi, Tamaki-senpai, Kyoya-senpai, Hikaru and Kaoru, Mitsukini-senpai, and Takashi-senpai."

I pointed to each one in turn, and she smiled at them. "Welcome to Beilschmidt Manor, Young Masters and Young Miss," she said, inclining her head.

"Gwen! Alaina!"

"Oh gog," I said on a groan. "Mom . . . ."

She came running down the stairs and stopped in front of us, gathering us into a hug. We both had to lean down a bit, since she was only four foot ten.

"How was school? Did you have fun? Who are these good looking boys and girl?" she asked in rapid fire.

"Okay, mom, did you eat some of the goods at the bakery?" I asked, letting her go. "Cuz you look like you're on a sugar-high."

"Weeeell . . . maybe," she said, smirking.

I sighed and shook my head. "Anyhow, to answer your questions, yes, yes, and these guys are the Host Club."

"Oh!" she said, looking at them again. She smiled, then let Alaina and I go. "It's so nice to finally meet you guys! I've heard so much about each of you! I'm Maria, their mom, obviously." She chuckled.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Madame Beilschmidt," said Tamaki, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips. "I can see where Gwen gets her lovely hair color, and where Alaina gets her gorgeous eyes."

She laughed, then looked at Alaina and I. "You two were right," she said wryly. "He _IS_ a total Frenchman."

And he went into the emo corner once more . . . .

~ P.o.V Change - Takashi ~

We sat down in the dining room, waiting for dinner to be served. Alaina and Gwen went to help Isolde cook, and that left the rest of us alone with their mother.

I was surprised that I was able to look her mother in the eye without feeling ashamed. The dream kept coming back every night, and left me waking up breathless, flushed, and wanting Gwen so badly it was painful. I suppose that I just got used to it; I'd already accepted the fact that I was completely helpless when it came to her.

"So, Ms. Beilschmidt-" started Kyoya.

"Please, call me Maria," she said, smiling. "Either that or mom; a lot of Gwen and Alaina's friends back home do."

Kyoya smiled politely. "Very well. Maria," he started again, "you said that they talk about us at home?"

"Oh yeah, all the time!" she said, giggling. "It's always 'Tamaki-senpai this' or 'I swear, the Twins are gonna regret that!' It's so funny." She chuckled, then became serious; I couldn't help seeing the resemblance to Gwen when she did that.

"You guys are a big part of their world," she said quietly. "I think it's helped them adjust to the move. Especially Gwen. She went through a bit of a rough time for awhile. It was one of the reasons I decided to take the job offer over here for my company's expansion."

I looked at Maria. "What happened?" I asked.

She looked at me, her expression almost contemplative. "Well, to make a long story short, it had to do with my recent ex-husband," she said, her tone barely concealing bitterness and anger. "Something happened, and I left him. But I felt that we needed a new start, hence the move."

She smiled tenderly at us. "That's why I'm so glad they both have friends like you guys," she said. "They were both very morose and almost like empty shells when we first moved here. But after we took the tour of Ouran, they both started to return to normal. Actually, when they first saw the school, I noticed a change. "

"That's because we both had a feeling that that was where we belonged."

We turned our heads and saw Gwen standing there, holding a bowl of some sort of salad. She smiled wryly at us.

"Telling sob-stories again, ma?" she asked. Though her tone was playful, I could tell she was a little angry and nervous.

"No, not at all, dear!" said Maria, chuckling. "Bring that on over; I don't know about these guys, but I'm so bloody hungry I could eat a horse!"

~ P.o.V Change - Gwen ~

_Oh my glob, I can't believe she told them that!_ I screamed mentally, setting down the salad bowl. I shot mom a discreet glare.

She blithely ignored me, but I could see her stiffen a little. "So, what's on the menu tonight, Moonbeam?" she asked me.

"Moooom, don't call me that in front of my friends," I groaned. "and to answer your question, good old Southern fried chicken and biscuits with gravy. There's also cranberry sauce and the salad." I looked at everyone, smirking a little. "Hope you guys don't mind eating fattening American food."

"Nah, it's fine," said the Twins simultaneously. "We've been meaning to try and get you to cook for us anyways, since you told us you knew how."

I sighed. "Always an ulterior motive," I muttered. "Oh, and for desert," I added, beaming, "it's gonna be one of my mama's awesome apple pies!"

"Pie?" asked Mitsukuni, visibly jerking to attention.

Mom chuckled. "Don't worry, Honey, I made a separate one just for you," she said. "The girls told me how much you love sweets. Speaking of which," she added, smiling brighter, "feel free to come by the bakery sometime; I could always use new taste-testers."

Mitsukuni's eyes sparkled, and he squeaked, "Thank you!" He clutched Usa-chan tighter in his excitement.

"Do you guys need any help bringing out the food?" asked Haruhi.

"Nah, we gots it under control, Haru," I said, sitting down across from Takashi. "Alaina's gonna be bringing out the chicken and biscuits, and Isolde was grabbing the cranberry sauce and gravy when I left."

No sooner had I said that, they both came out carrying their respective dishes. They set them down, and then sat. Alaina was on my right, across from Mitsukuni, and Isolde sat on mom's left hand side. Mom smiled at all of us.

"Well, by all means, dig in!" she said, holding her arms out.

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( A/N: Hi guys! I am absolutely loving all of your reviews; they makes me smile :3 Anyhow, I wanted to do what I did in this chapter so that Gwen and Alaina's mom could finally be introduced; and also, I wanted to give a little bit more of Gwen's background. She went through some pretty rough and emotionally harming stuff before the move. More will slowly begin to be revealed, and other stuff will be hinted at. I hope you all like this chapter! Review if you liked it, if you hated it, or whatever you thought! I like hearing from you all. )


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Nado sairen hikkakaru bushi no kokoro

(And So the Siren Snagged the Samurai's Heart)

We all ate, and as we did, we talked about random things. I saw Tamaki strike up a conversation with Isolde, talking about her interest in dancing. The Twins were telling Haruhi that she should steal my cookbook and find out the secrets to my cooking. The conversation that Kyoya was having with my mum, however, caught my attention.

"Ms.- I mean, Maria," he said, "I couldn't help but notice your necklace. It's very lovely."

My mum looked down at the pentacle she wore; the chain had emeralds on it, corresponding with her birth stone and zodiac sign, Taurus.

"Oh, well thank you, Kyoya," she said, smiling. "Alaina, Gwen, and Isolde each have one as well. Girls," she said, calling our attention. "Show them your pentacles."

We all looked at each other and shrugged, then pulled them out from under our shirts. Alaina's had garnets and turquoise, corresponding with her birth month and zodiac sign, Capricorn; Isolde's had pearls and agates, again, corresponding with her birth month and zodiac sign, Gemini; and lastly, mine had aquamarines and moonstones, yet again corresponding with my birth month and zodiac sign, Pisces.

"Wow!" said Mitsukuni, looking at all of them. "They're so pretty!"

"Thank you," I said, smiling lightly.

"Wait, isn't that the sign for what you Westerners call devil worship?" asked the Twins bluntly.

_Oh shit._

Alaina, Gwen, and I looked at mum, fearing the worst.

However, she looked very calm and even smiled. "No, Hikaru, Kaoru," she said. "It's a common misconception. Those who worship what Christians call 'Satan' or the 'Devil' took this symbol from the olde ways and turned it into something perverted and wrong. We do not even believe in the Devil."

They all looked surprised; even Takashi and Kyoya.

"Then what _do_ you believe in?" asked Haruhi, tilting her head.

"I am glad you asked, Haruhi!" said mom, beaming at her. "The girls and I believe in the Olde Ways, the teachings and beliefs that pre-date Christianity. These days, it is called 'Wicca.' Most of us Wiccans describe it as a religion that worships Nature and all things that come from it, but it is much more than that. Gwen, do you care to elaborate?"

I sat up in my seat and nodded, looking at all of their faces. "Wicca is a religion that combines all of the olde religions into one," I said. "However, we have no strict comprehensible form of practice. There are many different forms, depending on where you come from, what your ancestry is, and factors like that. To be a Wiccan is not a strictly hereditary thing; anyone can chose to be a Wiccan, but they must truly feel that this kind of path is right for them."

"We are attuned to the very breath of Mother Earth and all of Her creatures," I said, sort of gazing off into the distance. "And you'll find that most Wiccans mare interested in some form of art or like artistic things. Just look at us, after all," I added, gesturing to mum, Alaina, and Isolde.

"We believe in Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Grandmother Spider, Kannon, Zeus, Isis, and Cerridwen," I said, my gaze landing on Takashi. "We unite all other religions in a ways that is harmonious and beautiful; we have a strong sense of what is right and wrong, but we don't see it in only black and white. We see it in tones of gray, as well."

"Dreams," I said, my eyes flickering away from him to look at everyone again, "are very important to us. We can go anywhere in our dreams, and a deeper meaning can be derived from them. And that's just the tip of the iceberg," I ended, chuckling. "There are many other aspects that would take far too long to explain."

"Very well-said, Moonbeam!" said mom, grinning at me.

"Mom, don't call me that in front of my frieeeeeends," I groaned, facepalming.

~ P.o.V Change - Takashi ~

_She knows,_ I thought, finishing a piece of chicken. _She knows about the dream!_

But exactly how she knew, I had no idea . . . . Perhaps it was because of her beliefs. Perhaps they had more substance to them than I'd originally thought . . .

Soon, everyone finished. Gwen looked at all of us. "Since it's Alaina's night to help Isolde with the dishes, how 'bout we go to the game room?" she suggested. "I have a pool table and video games in there! And other cool stuff."

She flashed us a smile, and when she looked at me my heart stuttered. Everyone gave their consent, and she was waiting for my answer.

"Yeah, sure," I said.

"Awesome!" she said. "Follow me, meine freundinnen!"

She led us out of the dining room and back out into the foyer. I couldn't resist looking around again; there were so many interesting objects to see. Old suits of armor, fans from the Victorian Era, old chests and display cabinets . . . I could stay in here forever and soak up the history.

As we went to go up the stairs, Mistukuni stopped in front of one of the bigger display cases.

"Gwen-chan," he said, his more serious nature coming out, "where . . . where did you get this?"

I looked inside and stifled a shocked gasp. Inside was a suit of samurai armor. But, it wasn't just _ANY_ suit of armor: it was a Morinozuka samurai's armor.

She came over to us, smiling softly. "Well, it somehow got flown over to American when the Western world started to close in on Japan," she explained. "Mom and I found it online up for auction, and by then we knew we were moving here. So, I told mom that I was going to buy it even if I had to sell my soul for it. No samurai's armor should be in America, I reasoned. It belongs here," she finished.

I was moved by her words. The fact that she would do that didn't really surprise me, but still . . . it told me about the nature of her heart. At that moment, I wanted so badly to take her in my arms that it hurt.

"But, Gwen-chan, do you know what family this armor came form?" asked Mistukuni quietly, looking up at her.

"No, I don't," she sighed. "I tried to find out, but I ended up at a dead end every time."

"It belonged to a Morinozuka," I murmured.

Her jaw dropped, and she blushed darkly. "No. Facking. WAY."

I nodded, and she closed her mouth. she had a look of deep thought on her face, and then she looked up at me.

"Would you like to have it back in your family's possession?" she asked seriously. "It rightfully belongs to you, after all."

I sucked in a quiet breath, thinking. Finally, I came to a decision. It was most likely going to make my parents and grandparents miffed, but I didn't care.

"No," I said. "You keep it." I looked at it again in the case and smiled slightly. "It looks like it's happy here."

I heard everyone gasp behind us. _Oh,_ I thought. _I'd forgot__ten they were even there . . . . _

She gaped at me. "A-are you sure, Takashi-senpai?" she asked. "Will your parents be okay with this?"

"It's fine," I said.

_I WANT it to stay with you_, I thought to myself. _I want a part of me to be with you . . . . Perhaps it's selfish of me, but I really don't care anymore._

~ 20 minutes later & P.o.V Change - Gwen ~

"Aw, c'mon, Hikaru!" I said, chuckling as I twirled the cue stick above my head. "You can get that shot!"

"Easy for you to say, Flame-head," he grumbled, trying to line up his shot. "This is my first time playing this game."

I laughed again. "Really? 'Flame-head'? You can get more creative than that, dearie," I said. "and you're doing very well for your first time, Hikaru."

He grunted in response and took his shot. He got his last ball in the pocket, and grinned. "Sweet! I win!"

"Nuh-uh," I said. "You have to try and get the eight-ball in."

He looked at how the aforementioned ball was surrounded by the other balls, and groaned. "So that's why you put all of yours on that side."

I gave an evil laugh. "Why of course!" I said. I smirked at him. "Would you like me to take a shot now?"

"There's no way you're going to get all of them in the pockets. You skipped your turn so many times," said Tamaki, who was watching from the opposite side of the room. "It's impossible to do it in one shot!"

I grinned like a fox. "Impossible is my middle name, Tamaki-senpai," I said, lining up my shot.

_Thank the Great Mother for my awesome geometry teacher,_ I thought with a smirk.

"Bam," I said, hitting the cue ball.

Everyone watched in awe as it bounced and ricocheted off of each ball, landing each one in a pocket. Lastly, it lightly tapped the eight ball, which was one centimeter away from the top left pocket. The eight ball fell in, and the cue ball stopped right on the edge.

I grinned and twirled my cue stick above my head once more. "Shazay-uhm!"

Everyone looked at me, surprised. Even Takashi looked amazed. However, he had a light flush on his cheeks.

"That was amazing, Gwen-chan!" said Mitsukuni, giving me a giant hug.

I giggled. "Thanks! Mom taught me how to play. She also taught me how to play poker," I added.

Haruhi looked at the west wall and tilted her head. I followed her gaze and saw that she was looking at my Rock Band equipment.

"Do you know how to play it, Haru?" I asked her.

"No. I never really learned," she said, looking back at me.

"Hmmm . . . something tells me you'd be good at the bass," I said. I raised a brow at her. "You wanna play?"

She thought for a bit, then nodded. "Yeah, why not?" She smiled.

"Sweet!" I said, grinning. "I'm on the electric guitar and vocals!"

It took me a little while to set it up, and after I showed Haruhi how to work the bass, I went through the list of songs.

"I hope you all don't mind that most of these are in English," I said sheepishly. "but I do have a few J-Pop songs on here, as well as some German and Korean music."

they shook their heads. "You pick," said Haruhi.

"Okay, then," I said, looking through the list. "Hmmmm . . . ."

I finally decided on Breaking Benjamin's "I Will Not Bow" and hit the expert levels on the mic and my guitar; I put it on beginner for Haruhi.

We started on the guitar opening, and then I began to sing.

**"Now the dark begins to rise. Save your breath, it's far from over! Leave the lost and dead behind! Now's your chance to run for cover!"**

As I sang on, I felt myself get lost again in the music.

**"I will not bow, I will not break! I will shut the world away! I will not fall, I will not fade! I will take your breath away~!"**

I sang on, and I felt everyone staring at me. I shut the feeling away, though, so I could concentrate. I came to the final chorus, and I put my heart into the words and music.

**"I will not bow, I will not break! I will shut the world away! I will not fall, I will not fade! I will take your breath away~! And I'll survive, paranoid; I have lost the will to change. And I'm not proud, cold-blooded fate! I will shut the world awaaay~!"**

~ P.o.V Change - Takashi ~

_My god,_ I thought to myself as I listened to Gwen sing. _She's . . . . she's beautiful . . . ._

Her voice was slightly husky, but still had that high, feminine sound. It seemed like she became one with the song; and though it took me a little bit to understand the English lyrics, I had to admit that they fit her so perfectly. She was her own person who didn't care if someone hated her or loved her.

_What have you done to me?_ I thought. But, in truth, I finally came to the realization:

_She's stolen my heart, and I don't really mind._

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( A/N: Yay! He finally realizes his feels! Woo! *chuckle* I hope you all liked this chapter! And I'm sorry it took me so long to update lol (^_^') Forgive me? :3 ))


	10. Chapter 10

(A/N: Alaina and Gwen are gloing to be singing a song in this chapter, so to make it a bit easier on me lol I'm gonna have it go like this:

_italic _= Alaina

**bold** = Gwen

**_italic_**_ bold_ = both

Okie dokie? Enjoy! :) )

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Chapter 10: Soshite dākushadoufōru. . .

(And the Dark Shadows Fall . . .)

Haruhi and I finished the song, and we panted slightly from the exertion. I smiled at her.

"Girl, you's a natural!" I said. "You did amazing!"

"I should be saying that to you," she said, grinning back. "You have a beautiful voice."

"Pshaw, no I don't," I said, waving her compliment away as I felt my cheeks flush pink. "You should hear my mom's voice; it's fackin' GORGEOUS."

"Nuh-uh! Gwen-chan, you sing like an ANGEL!" said Mitsukuni, smiling at me with stars in his eyes.

"Yeah, you do," concurred Takashi, smiling at me.

I felt my face fade from pink to red as I got even more embarrassed. "N-nah, I ain't no angel," I said, chuckling. "But thank you anyways."

"We wanna sing next!" said the Twins in unison.

"Okay, guys," I said, going back through the song list. "Anything in particular you feel like singing?"

"Do you have Imitation Black?" asked Hikaru.

"Ummmmm . . . . Yep! Right here!" I said, stopping on that song. "But, there's three parts in it. You'll have to find someone to sing with you."

"Um, duh, what do you think YOU'RE going to be doing?" asked Kaoru, rolling his eyes.

"We need you to do Len's part, Flame-head," said Hikaru, picking up the two spare mics. A spark of mischief was in his eyes, and I didn't trust him one bit.

". . . . Okay, fine, I'll do it," I said, sighing. I knew it was pointless to try arguing with them; they'd find some way to make me do it anyways.

I hit the song, and put it on expert for all three mics. I stood between them, and the song began with Hikaru singing Gakupo's part.

"The distorted ordinary life, a forbidden love, and a heart of deception~."

Next was Kaoru singing Kaito's part.

"Our imperfect love has been painted completely black in this ebony world."

I followed, singing with Hikaru as Len.

"I've always wanted to say this to you, this mere one phrase, if my uncontrollable impulse will end up being shattered."

As they sang the chorus, I did Len's vocal background and sang the word, "IMITATION," when it came up.

Next came Kaoru again, staring the new stanza.

"The sinking moon overlaps with the clouds, as if it's trying to hide its shadow."

Hikaru followed, and they were both starting to get really into the song, moving their hips slightly just as I was.

"Is there no way for us to turn back? Then together let's simply disappear like this."

They sang on, and as they did, each of them put a hand on my hips. I glanced at them, and saw that they kept kind of looking over to where Takashi was standing. I looked back at them, silently asking them why they were doing so. They each gave me a wink and a slight nod. Then, I understood: They were trying to make Takashi jealous! I almost laughed, but I only smirked to show them that I understood their motive. It got to Len's solo, and I put my entire being into it, making my voice light, airy, yet slightly seductive; I did the same with my facial expression.

"I will be thinking of you everyday. Before the sensation of our hugging shoulders melts and fades away, I will go meet you~."

At this point, I pulled both of them into a close hug, making sure that they fit into my curves. When the glass broke in the song, I let them go and threw my head back as I did Len's backup and they sang in unison.

"Enveloped in swaying fantasies, the words I said to you were and imitation. On my cold skin is a kiss mark that won't disappear, as I submerge my entire memory in black and dwindle away~."

"Love and be loved to the point of going mad. This sweet and hot kiss is an imitation. My paralyzed senses and fading consciousness paint my overflowing thoughts and the truth completely in black~."

The song ended, and the three of us laughed. Everyone laughed as well, except for Takashi and Kyouya. The Twins pulled me into a weird hug, almost like they were about to give me a noogie. However, they both leaned in.

"Smart thinking on your part, Gwen," they whispered. "You should've seen Mori's face!"

"I should be thanking _you guys_," I whispered back. "It's awesome how you guys are helping me seduce the man." I giggled.

"And you don't even deny that that's what you're up to," said Hikaru, smirking.

"What?" I said, smirking back. "Believe it or not, I actually DO like him."

"And that's why we're helping you," said Kaoru, smiling as they both let me go.

I fell to the floor and gave them a raspberry. "Way to drop me, guys," I said wryly.

~ P.o.V Change - Takashi ~

_I'm going to kill them,_ I thought to myself, gritting my teeth silently.

Mitsukuni looked up at me, confusion written all over his face. He then looked at Gwenivere, then back at me. After a moment, it was like an invisible light bulb lit up above his head. He grinned at me, and I felt myself turn pink.

"Don't say anything, please," I murmured.

He giggled and nodded, looking back over where Tamaki was helping Gwenivere up.

"Gwen, may I sing with you next?" he asked, smiling.

She chuckled. "Yeah, sure," she said . "Got anything in particular you're thinkin' of?"

"Hmm," he said, rubbing his chin. "Do you have Cendrillon?"

"Hell yeah!" she said, grinning brightly. "That's one of my favorites!"

She played the song, and she and Tamaki sang a very lovely duet. I had to admit, their voices sounded very nice together. But still, Gwen's was truly like an angel's. I noted in the back of my mind that she could sing quite high without making it sound like a shrill scream. Not many girls can do that, and even fewer men.

When the song ended, Gwenivere gave Tamaki a one-armed hug. "You know, Blondie, you have a pretty good voice," she said, chuckling. "You should sing more often; it's good for the soul."

The door opened and Alaina walked in. "I thought I heard your dulcet tones, Gwen," she said, shutting the door behind her. "Hey, you wanna practice our song?"

Gwenivere nodded. "Yeah, we probably should," she said. She handed a mic to her, then rolled through the song list quickly, stopping at a song called "Einsamkeit."

The song started, and the rest of us were quiet as we listened to Alaina start.

_"__You might feel like I'm always lecturing you, but it's just idle conversation. Oh well."_

Gwenivere followed, **"****I make a grim face sometimes, but it's only because it's cold. Though it really doesn't bother me . . ."**

_"Even though I pride myself in delicate work, I have fat fingers."_

**"So even though you say 'It works well enough,' I'm too meticulous . . ."**

_**"To understand!"**_

_**"Einsamkeit! Einsamkeit! Einsamkeit!"**_

**"I want to be found . . ."  
**

_"You say all I eat are potatoes, but you are the same with soba and pasta."_

**"If you're going to get the kitchen dirty, I'd really rather you not . . ."**

_**"Cook at all!"**_

_**"Einsamkeit! Einsamkeit! Einsamkeit!"**_

_**"I want my heart to be opened and set free. Because you're here, I can be myself."**_

_**"You say . . ."** _

"_I'm always scowling, but it's not like I've done away with my smile._"

**"I may look scary, but I'm just struggling to smile."**

_**"Strong . . . . Einsamkeit."**_

They finished singing, and we all clapped. Alaina had a very interesting voice: it was very low, but in more of a subdued way.

"Hey, isn't that the song that Germany and Prussia from Hetalia sing?" asked Haruhi.

"Yeppers!" said Gwenivere. "We both thought the song suited us," she added, giving Alaina a secretive, bittersweet smile.

Alaina returned it, and nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Plus," she added, grinning, "Gwen is SOOOO like Prussia, it's not even funny!" She giggled.

"Hey! I'm friggin' AWESOME, and don't you forget it, girl!" said Gwenivere, putting her fists on her hips and standing proudly.

I chuckled, and she looked over at me, a playful spark in her eyes. "Hey, I _am_ awesome," she said. "But I don't let go to my head. Even in kendo, I didn't let it go to my head. Although," she added, chuckling and crossing her arms, "so many of the younger trainees listened to me more than our Sensei."

I felt my eyebrows shoot up. _Well, that's interesting, _I thought to myself. _She must've been very good . . ._

Alaina snorted a laugh. "You're tellin' me, sis," she said, rolling her eyes. "When I'd stop by her dojo to remind her that she needed to get going, there would be a literal FLOCK of ten-year-olds around her. At least half of the boys there liked her."

"No, they only admired me," Gwenivere corrected. "Admiration and feelings of strong like are different, Schwester."

"Eh, whatevs," said Alaina, shrugging.

~ time lapse - 1.5 hours later . . . ~

"Thanks for having us over!" said Tamaki, hugging each lady of the house. Mitsukuni followed suit, although he didn't have to stand on his toes to hug Gwenivere and Alaina's mother; they were the same height.

"Yeah, it was really fun," said Haruhi, smiling at them.

"And very interesting," added Kyouya, fixing his glasses.

"We're SOOO dressing you up next time, Gwen," said the Twins in unison.

"Oh no," she groaned, hanging her head. "I'm gonna be a human Barbie . . . ."

She sighed, then straightened up, smirking. "Alright, if you get to dress me up, I'm going to dress YOU TWO up as well."

The Twins grinned. "Bring. It. ON."

She chuckled, then looked at me, her expression more serious. "I'll take good care of the armor, Takashi-senpai," she said, placing her hand on my arm. "Don't worry."

The skin under my sleeve tingled where she touched, and I fought to formulate a response. "That's one reason why I'd like you to keep it," I said. I felt myself slightly smirk. "You seem to know how to take care of antique things."

She laughed. "Ain't THAT the truth," she said, drawing her hand back. "I'll see y'all tomorrow!"

~ P.o.V Change - Gwen ~

We watched their chauffeurs bring their cars around and pick them up. We all waved to them as they went through the gate. By this time, it was starting to get dark and the stars were kind of popping out.

"I'll go shut the gate," I said, grabbing a flashlight. "I'll be back in a jiff."

I walked down the driveway to the gate and pulled both doors closed. I rustling in the bushes made me lift my head and glance around, hyper-alert.

"Gwen, calm down," I muttered to myself. "There's no way that he's here . . . ."

An object dropped from the trees and fell near the gate. I couldn't make out what it was, but I heard a faint ticking noise coming form it.

"DAMMIT!" I yelled, turning tail and running. I fought back angry, bitter tears.

I made it halfway down the driveway when the bomb finally exploded. I ducked and dodged most of the shrapnel, hitting the ground. I heard my mom, Isolde, and Alaina running out to me, but I was too tired to think of anything else except this:

_How could he have followed us? Why does he want to TORMENT me again?!_

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( A/N: Dun dun DUUUUN! Cliff hanger! Hope you all enjoyed this! )


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Sonogo, karera wa shōhi suru

(And Then they Consume)

~ Takashi P.o.V ~

BOOM!

I turned at the sound in alarm, looking out the back window. I saw smoke coming from the direction of Gwenivere's house, and my throat contracted in terror.

"Driver, turn around!" said Mitsukuni, looking out the window as well.

We drove back the way we came, going slightly faster than the legal speed limit. The driver pulled up right at the foot of her driveway, and smoke was everywhere. Mitsukuni and I shot out of the car, using our jackets to block the smoke.

"Gwenivere! Alaina!" I called. "Where are you?"

There came a faint response past the front gate, which was slightly ajar. "We're over here, Takashi-senpai!"

I followed the sound of Alaina's voice, stepping around a medium-sized crater that was just outside the gate. Upon closer inspection, I could see bits of plastic and wiring littered around the hole. I ground my teeth in fury.

_A bomb,_ I thought to myself. _Whoever it was, they are going to PAY . . . _

Mitsukuni and I made our way down the driveway when we heard the others pull up to the gate as well.

"Gwenivere! Alaina!" called the Twins, worry in their voices.

"Tachibana? It's me; there's been an explosion at Gwenivere's house. I need you to send people over RIGHT NOW."

"Gwen! Alaina!" cried Tamaki. There was a pause, then he cursed in French. "Putain de merde! Celui qui a fait cela va le regretter!"

I could hear Haruhi coughing on the smoke. "What the hell *cough-cough* happened?"

Mitsukuni and I finally got to Alaina, and Maria and Isolde were there as well. They were sitting around Gwenivere, who was lying on the ground. My blood ran cold for a moment.

"Is she alright?" I asked, just barely keeping my voice from shaking.

Maria nodded, tears in her eyes. "Yes, she's fine. She just passed out," she said, wiping her eyes. She put her face in her hands and sobbed. "Why can't he just leave us alone?" she muttered.

The others had finally gotten through the residual smoke and stood next to Mitsukuni and I. They gasped in shock, and Tamaki joined the ladies on the ground next to Gwenivere. He placed her head on his lap and brushed back her bangs from her forehead, starting to cry.

"Maria," said Kyouya, "who did this?" I could hear the concealed rage in his voice; after all, Gwenivere meant a lot to him as well.

Maria looked up at us, then looked at Isolde and Alaina. She sighed. "Not out here," she said. "Inside, where I know we won't be overheard . . ."

We nodded, and I bent down to pick Gwenivere up. I carried her princess-style, her slightly dirty, sleeping face against my shoulder. Even in sleep, she looked tortured. Her eyebrows were drawn together, and a few stray tears were still in her eyes. My heart broke just looking at her.

We walked inside, and I could feel everyone's stares boring into my back. Once the door was shut, I turned to Maria.

"Where is her room?" I asked.

"Upstairs; the very last door in the western hallway," she said, pointing to the left hall at the top of the stairs.

I nodded, and carried Gwenivere to her room. I nudged her door open with my foot, then set her down on the bed. I noted that the comforter was made of dark fuchsia silk, as were the pillows. She whimpered in her sleep, clutching onto my sleeve.

I hesitated, then sat on the edge of her bed. Feeling bold for a moment, I leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"Don't worry, Gwenivere," I murmured. "We will catch whoever did this to you and make him pay."

As I sat back up, I felt something slide down my cheek. Lifting my hand to see what it was, I realized that I was crying. I sighed, holding in the racking sobs I wanted to let out.

"Surely, I've fallen hard," I muttered to myself. "After all, the last time I ever cried was when Mitsukuni fell out of that tree when we were five . . ."

And so, I sat with her as she slept, trying to hold myself together.

~ P.o.V Change - 3rd Person Twins ~

Hikaru and Kaoru followed Maria into the livingroom, quietly contemplating on how to best kill whoever dared to hurt Gwen and her family.

"Please, sit," said Maria. "This is going to be a long story . . . ."

"Mom, please," said Alaina, sitting next to the older woman. "Let . . . Let me start . . ."

The boys and Haruhi sat down, their eyes focussed on Alaina. The girl sighed, then began.

"In America, my mom was married to my father," she said, her tone bitter. "They didn't get married until I was eleven, but still. Anyhow, about three months after they tied the knot, he began to . . . change. He became more moody, lashing out at everyone. Then, he started drinking more and more."

She paused, taking a ragged breath. "He especially lashed out at Gwen. She would be just sitting there, minding her own business, and he would start yelling at her. Of course, she was confused, and yelled back at him to defend herself, but . . . . but . . . ."

She started to silently cry, unable to continue. Isolde rubbed her shoulder, then looked at everyone.

"He would start to hit or slap her," she said, her voice subdued. "I would see it as well, but he told me that if I said anything to anyone that he would do the same to me; he also said this to Miss Alaina, although he loved her more. As time went on, he would have periods where he was very kind and sweet, but then he would fly into a rage so suddenly . . . . It was very frightening, to say the least. Even still, he always had a thing for blaming Miss Gwenivere for everything that went wrong. Plus he would yell at her, saying the meanest things."

" 'You're not my daughter, so I have no obligation to love you!' " quoted Maria. " 'You're nothing but a nuisance; you should just die!' " She paused, wiping away a few tears that escaped her eyes. "I couldn't believe that the man that I had loved had turned into such a monster. I swear to the Great Mother, he was severely bipolar . . . . but he would never go to the doctor to have them diagnose him."

"But, that wasn't what really cinched it," she continued, her voice becoming subdued, her small form shaking in rage. "One day, when I was at work and Alaina was at a friend's house, Isolde told him that she was going to the store to go get some more coffee. She left, and it was only him and Gwen in the house."

She stopped, taking a breathe before going on. "About three minutes after she left, he went to Gwen's room . . . He asked her if she could give him a back rub and massage, since she is very good at them and he'd been feeling stressed out a lot. She agreed, and she gave him one. But . . . . I don't know what went through his head, but he . . . . he said that she could also do one more thing to ease his stress . . . . ."

She stopped, sobbing her eyes out. Alaina started to cry quietly, and Isolde as well. However, Isolde cleared her throat and continued for Maria, her voice thick.

"He tried to force himself upon her, and she refused and ran, of course," she said, shaking. "Thank Mother Nyx that I returned home in time . . . . When I walked through the door, he had her arms pinned above her head on the livingroom couch and was on top of her. Then . . . well, the rest is all a blur to me, but I vaguely remember taking the baseball bat by the door and hitting him repeatedly until he was unconscious, grabbing the phone and calling 911 and then Miss Maria, and consoling the poor Miss Gwenivere until both the officers and her mother arrived."

"That day," said Alaina,"Gwen changed. She became very afraid of men for awhile; not even our uncles could go near her without her wrapping her arms around herself and shaking like a cornered rabbit. It went away after about three months, but even now she has trust issues with most guys. I did as well, for awhile. The trial came about, and for him to go to jail, she would have to testify and tell everyone what happened that day."

"However, she refused. I . . . . I'm not sure of what fully happened to her when she was alone with him, but apparently it was too traumatic for her to talk about, especially in front of people who she didn't know. So, his attorney cut a deal: two years probation, 100 hours of community service, his license taken away for a year, and the fact that his reputation would be in tatters over a scandal like this."

"Gwen was okay with that, even though she feared that he might try to come back and hurt her more," she finished. "It seems that now that his two years of probation are done, he's come back to do just that."

Everyone was silent for awhile, and most of them were crying. the only two who weren't were Mitsukuni and Kyouya. They both had expressions of pure murder on their faces, with the former clutching his Usa-chan tightly.

"Maria," said Kyouya, "I promise you, my private police will find him. The Ohtori Private Police are the best in the world; he will not slip away again without being punished."

"That's if Takashi and I don't get to him first," growled Mitsukuni. He stood and went to the window in time to see the Ohtori Police arrive. He stared out the window, then looked over his shoulder.

"If that happens, Maria, I can guarantee that Takashi might just end up killing him."

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( A/N: And so Dark Honey comes out! I hope this chapter appeases you all :3 I really enjoyed writing this one, especially since it's so filled with drama and suspense. I'm not completely sure, but I might just have Gwen confide in one of the Host Club members what fully happened to her; I'm not sure which one, tho! Give me any suggestions you might have! )


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Hagane no garasu tamashī no kokoro

(Heart of Glass, Soul of Steel)

I drifted in the peaceful darkness that was sleep. I felt someone near me; their warm hand was holding mine, and I heard two voices speaking, one a little higher than the other. I tried to wake up enough to try and hear what they were saying, and I was able to pick up the end of the conversation.

"-and that's what happened," said the higher voice. After a moment, I recognized it as Mitsukuni's. That could only mean . . . .

A low growl came from the one holding my hand, and I heard him grinding his teeth. He breathed deeply a few times, and then spoke.

"Mitsukuni," said Takashi, "I want your permission to look after Gwenivere whenever I can. Would that be okay with you? I don't want you to be lonely, but-"

"It's fine, Takashi," said Mitsukuni; I could just picture his smile. "I understand why."

I chose this moment to stir in my sleep. I decided to kind of take advantage of the fact that he was holding my hand and turn over on my side so his arm was around me. I could almost hear him blushing while Mistukuni giggled.

I fought back a smirk and brough his hand up to my face, nuzzling it. I don't know what had me feeling so bold, but almost dying did that to you, I guess.

I backtracked on that thought, and I felt my eyes tear up and spill over, keeping my eyes closed. A warm hand wiped them away, and I heard Mitsukuni chuckle.

"Besides, Takashi," he said, "I think she needs you right now. But, at the moment, we should head home. Our parents will be worried."

I heard Takashi sigh, and then he gently loosened my grip on his hand. He cupped my cheek, then I heard him walk out of my room. Mitsukuni came over and sat next to me.

"Gwen-chan, you can stop pretending to be asleep now." I could feel him grinning.

I felt myself blush, then I opened my eyes. Sure enough, he was grinning. I hid my face.

"Hush up," I mumbled.

He giggled. "It's okay, Gwen-chan! I think you two would be cute together!"

I sat up abruptly, feeling my face heat up like a fire truck. "Afhdksjhf . . . . I, uhm . . . . . oh man . . . . ." I sighed, looking down. "Is it that obvious that I like him?"

"No, I'm just observant," he said, becoming serious. Then, he paused. "Gwen-chan . . . . your mom told us what happened."

I knew what he meant, and I turned my head, trying not to cry. I could feel myself shaking, though.

He put a hand on my shoulder. "Gwen-chan . . . . remember when you said that I could be myself when I'm around you and that I could tell you anything?"

I nodded.

"I'm going to say the same to you," he continued. "If you ever need someone to talk to, I'll listen. You're almost like a little sister to me," he added. He pulled me into a hug, and I clung to him, letting my tears fall.

"I-I'll tell you someday," I said quietly. "What happened . . . . I-I think it would be good for me to . . . to tell someone . . . ."

He let me go, and settled his level gaze on me. "Alright," he said.

~ P.o.V Change - the one who set off the bomb ~

"Dammit!"

I paced around in the forest, cursing my awful luck.

"Of course the bitch would have friends here," I muttered. "And of course she would have the blasted notion to run from it. Stupid bitch; always having 'all the luck in the world'."

I scoffed, then began to plan for my next move . . . . .

~ Time Lapse & P.o.V Change - the next day, Gwen ~

I woke up, feeling stiff all over. I sat up, yawning. "Damn," I muttered to myself. "That Tachibana sure knows how to interrogate a girl . . . . I could learn a lot from that guy." I chuckled, running hand through my messy hair.

I slowly dressed in my weekend clothes, seeing as it was a Sunday and we didn't have school. I picked out one of my more rocker-style outfits: a ripped-sleeved Rolling Stones T-shirt; fishnet arm warmers; spiked cuff bracelets; a red plaid mini-skirt; thigh-high black n' white striped socks; and a pair of Union Jack Doc Martens. After brushing my hair and teeth, I put on some simple makeup and headed out my door.

I walked downstairs, yawning once more and walking into the massive kitchen. I sat at on of the island seat and looked around for something to eat. I shrugged, grabbed a Granny Smith apple, and hopped off the stool. I sat down in the living room and turned on the TV just in time to see the opening theme for Naruto: Shippuden end. I sat up and grinned.

"Hell yeah, motherfucker! Naruto!" I cried, fist-pumping the air in absolute otaku joy.

"Language, Miss Gwen," said Isolde, sitting next to me.

"Psh, you know you were thinking it too, you goof!" I teased, mock-punching her arm.

She laughed and settled next to me, watching the episode with me. We were on the very edge of the couch when the episode ended, and I threw my hands up in the air.

"WHAT?! How dare they leave off at a cliff hanger like that!"

"I agree!" said Isolde, her normally calm personality replaced by her otaku one. "I mean, honestly, that's just cruel!"

"I thought I heard the sound of a couple a' fangirls," said Alaina, walking into the living room. She was still in her PJs, and her hair was a total bird's nest. I chuckled.

"Look who finally decided to get up," I said, rising. "I was getting to wonder if I would have to go up there with a bucket of ice water. After all, we have a Skype convo scheduled with our friends at noon, you doof."

"Oh shit! I totally forgot about that!" she said, checking the clock: 11:50. "Ah, fudge!"

As she ran upstairs, Isolde laughed. "I'll help you set up the camera," she said.

She did so, setting it up. The TV went into it's computer screen mode, and she brought up Skype. As she set up the call to my friend Tabby, who was going to have everyone sleep over at her house, Alaina ran downstairs.

"I'm ready, I'm ready!" she huffed, coming to a stop next to me. She wore a simple pair of white skinny jeans, a Domo T-shirt, and tennis shoes. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she actually looked alert.

"A'aight, Schwester, let's get this party started," I said, putting an arm around her and sitting in front of the camera.

Isolde turned it on and the Skype box popped up, showing all of our friends in America. They grinned at us, looking really sleepy.

"Moooom!" cried Jaycee, reaching forward as if to hug me. I laughed.

"Hello, favorite daughter of mine!" I said.

"Feeeeef! Gaaaaaam!" said Tabby, Ashley, and Christine.

"Sisterrrrr!" cried Liona, Gabby, and Amy.

All of our friends were gathered on Tabby's queen-sized bed. They all ranged in age, the youngest of them (Gabby and Amy) being only 11, to the oldest (Liona, Tabby, Ashley, and Christine) being my age. The other two were Alaina's age.

"Guys, chill!" laughed Alaina. "We've only been gone for about a month or so!"

"But it feels like forever!" said Jaycee. "We miss you guys . . . . ."

"Aw, guys, don't put on those sad faces, or else you'll make us cry!" I said, half joking, half serious.

They tried to smile, and the resulting look on their faces was priceless. I almost fell out of my chair laughing.

"You guys are dorks," I said between guffaws. I calmed down, and Alaina spoke up.

"So, how're things across the pond?"

"Omigod, you'll never guess what!" said Ashley. "Cherry lost more weight!"

"Wow, that a miracle," I said sarcastically, smirking.

"Yeah, she lost a few . . . . . teeth, that is," she amended, chuckling.

"Hah! I swear, I will never know what your cousin saw in her," said Alaina. "How's Lucas?"

"Her little cousin has been driving me nuts," muttered Tabby. "I don't like children . . . ."

"Aw, but you know you love your KK, Sol," I said, teasing her. "Seriously, you guys are like a real life SolKat! It still makes me all fuzzy inside!"

Tabby blushed a little. "Yeah yeah yeah . . . . . I know," she said, giving Ashley a kiss on the cheek.

They asked us about our move and the flight over, and how school was going. Finally, it got to one of Liona's favorite subjects . . . .

"So, have you two met any hot Asian boys?" she asked, smirking deviously.

"Yeah, have you?" asked Amy and Gabby.

"Weeeeell, maybe," said Alaina, giving me a sidelong glance. I grinned.

"Yep, we have," I said proudly. "And you'll never guess what! They're seriously awesome, and they're our friends, too! We also have one girl friend, but everyone thinks she's a boy. Complicated story, I dun wanna get into it."

"But you have to!" said Jaycee, bouncing in excitement. The others nodded emphatically, and we sighed.

"Okay, but pay attention, a'aight?" said Alaina.

"Yeah, we don't want to have to repeat ourselves," I added.

And so, we explained everything that had occurred in the past month, starting from our tours of the schools, and ending with what had happened last night. They all had livid expressions on their faces.

"Mommy, I swear, I will find a way to show that douchebag that murder is INDEED an art; he will RUE the day he messed with my mom!" said Jaycee, cracking her knuckles.

"No no no, dear, Kyouya's police are after him," I said. "And they are seriously cray cray with tracking down peeps."

"Yeah, trust us on this, Jaycee," Alaina said. "The guys are even more angry than _we_ are, and that's saying something."

She calmed down a little, then looked around at everyone. They all nodded, and she looked at us. "Well mom, auntie, we're gonna get going; it's gettin' late," she said, smiling. "And I know how you get when we don't get a lot of sleep," she added, giggling.

I smiled wryly. "Indeed," I said. "Speaking of which, how much sleep did you get last night, Tabby?" I asked sweetly.

"Uhhhhm . . . . four hours . . . ?" she answered, shrinking in her seat.

"EriiiidAAAAN!" I said in my Feferi voice, using her other nickname. "How many time must I tail you that you need to have a minnowmum of seven hours of sleep? Only four hours is not good for you!"

"Wwell, Fef, I'm gettin' better," she countered in her Eridan voice. "An' I knoww wwhat I'm doin'; Kar has been helpin' me."

She looked at Ashley and smirked, and I couldn't help smiling. "Oh whale, I suppose Crabcatch is making shore you do betta in your sleeping habits," I said.

Alaina chuckled. "We'll let you get some sleep, then, guys," she said. "Good night!"

"Oyasumi nasai!" they said in perfect Japanese. We laughed, then turned the camera off.

_I miss them,_ I thought to myself as I helped Isolde take care of the camera. _I really REALLY miss them . . . . _

I sighed, and then heard a knock on the front door. I looked up in question, and in apprehension.

"Who could that be . . . ?" I wondered aloud.

~ P.o.V Change - Hikaru ~

I stood outside Gwen's door, waiting for someone to answer. The Boss fidgeted impatiently next to me.

"Boss, will you chill out?" I said. "You're making me friggin' irritated with all your fidgeting."

"Well, I'm just worried about my beloved daughter!" he said.

I said nothing; after all, that's why I came here, too. It felt weird not to be with Kaoru, but he had caught a cold and insisted that I come here by myself.

_And of course I'd run into Milord at the front gate_, I thought to myself, rolling my eyes. I couldn't blame him, though. I was worried about Gwen, as well.

I heard someone approach the door, and then it opened. Isolde looked at us in surprise.

"Hey, Izzy," I said, smiling.

"Isolde~! Truly, your lovely countenance is a sight for sore eyes!" said Tamaki, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips.

Isolde giggled, smiling wryly. "Hello Master Hikaru, Master Tamaki," she said. "Would you like to come inside? Miss Alaina and Miss Gwen are in the living room."

"Thanks, Izzy," I said.

I stepped inside, the Boss on my tail. I rolled my eyes, then came to a stop at the entrance to the living room.

My jaw dropped, and I heard the Boss shriek behind me.

"My God, Gwenivere, what ARE you wearing?!" he squealed in alarm. "That is not appropriate for a young lady of your caliber!"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Tamaki-senpai, I'm a big girl, I do want I want," she said, her hands on her hips. "And I don't hear Hikaru complaining."

I looked at her outfit and marveled at her absolute genius with clothing. The way that she put it all together . . . she looked like a street punk straight out of London!

"You look amazing!" I said, grinning. "You look like a London punk! Absolute genius!"

She smirked triumphantly at the Boss. "See?"

He spluttered for a moment, then gave up and sighed. "Fine . . . just, when you bend over, bend at your knees, not your waist, please . . . . "

"Psh, I ain't THAT stupid, Tamaki-senpai," she said. "My mama raised me right; I know how to bend like a lady, thank you."

"Yeah, heh. She's actually a bit of a prude when it comes right down to it," said Alaina, snickering. Gwen blushed.

"So? What's wrong with having some dignity while wearing clothes that others would find revealing?" she said, crossing her arms. "At least I wasn't like most of the girls our age in America; they look like they work street corners. The lot of them!"

I bit back a snicker. _I can see why Mori likes her; she's a riot, but also real sweet,_ too, I thought to myself.

"Anyhow, Gwen, we wanted to come and check up on you," I said. Alaina caught my eye and left the room, a solemn expression on her face.

I looked back at Gwen, and her smile seemed fake for some reason. "I'm fine, seriously, guys," she said, turning her back to us to put a chair back against the wall.

"Liar," said the Boss, serious for a change. "No one would be fine after what happened last night!"

She turned back to us, her eyes glistening. "Well, _I_ am, so stop worrying about me!' she said, her tone strained. "I'll be fine!"

"Gwen, you are so full of it!" I said, walking towards her. "If _we're_ in as bad a shape as we are, then it only makes sense that you'd be feeling even worse, dammit! Why won't you admit it?!"

"BECAUSE I CAN'T!"

I stood there, shocked. This was the first time I'd ever heard Gwen actually _yell_, like she really meant it. The Bos and I stood in silence as she went on ranting, her face becoming deathly pale in her anger.

"You have NO IDEA what it was like to have to deal with his shit EVERY DAY for thirteen years! At first it was small things, like making me clean my room spotless everyday, then it turned into him becoming a fucking drill sergeant and a complete fuckass! And then, he started to get really into his fucking Budweiser and became an abusive bastard who only gave a shit about his next bottle!"

"During those years, I had to build a fucking soul of steel! It was the only way I could hold my own against his constant bullshit! And then . . . and then . . . . !"

She paused, shaking with her fists at her sides. Her tears spilled over, and she bit her lip. She looked up at us fiercely.

"I may have built a soul of steel, but that only made my heart and emotions more vulnerable and easy to see through, like glass. He started taking away EVERYTHING that made me happy! But when I sold my first painting, he became nicer, mostly due to the money coming in . . . . Then that day . . . . that day . . . ." She hesistated, then went on. "He said he wanted a back rub, but he wanted FAR more than that . . . . He started saying odd things . . . . then he . . . he flipped over and pinned me beneath him . . . . and started touching me . . . _EVERYWHERE . _. . I slipped away, screaming for Isolde, and then remembering that she had left. I went into the living room . . . . but he pinned me to the couch with one hand . . . and started to try and undress me with the other one . . . ."

" 'Just hold s-still, Gweni, it will only hurt for a moment'," she quoted, barely keeping herself from sobbing. "I screamed and cried, and he only laughed and gripped me tighter . . . . then Isolde came in . . ."

She sank to her knees and bawled, her face in her hands. I shook as I sat next to her and wrapped her in a hug, the Boss following suit. We held her as she cried; we looked at each other over her head, and I could feel the tears slipping down my face as I watched Milord cry silently as well. Then, almost in sync, our faces changed from sadness and despair into pure rage.

"Never speak of this moment to the others," he mouthed to me. "EVER."

I nodded in assent, looking at the normally strong girl in our arms fall apart into utter despair.

_No wonder she kept this to herself all this time, _I thought to myself, shushing her. _It was painful to hear . . . . I can't even imagine how it must've felt to go through that . . . . . _

Then, I thought back on a few things she had said. _A soul of steel, but a heart of glass, huh__?_

I looked down at her at the same time as she looked up at me, her green eyes taking on a blue-ish tone. They were very pretty eyes, now that I thought about it; wide, almost like pools of color . . . . and very readable. I sighed, and tucker her head under my chin.

_Yeah, _I continued to myself. _That just about describes her perfectly . . . . . _

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( A/N: So, here we are, the truth about what happened to our poor heroine :( I picked Tamaki and Hikaru to be privy to this info because they haven't really had a big part in the story so far, and no one expected it! So, to the two people who suggested this (Moony Loves Padfoot and Jupiter's Magic) thank you for your ideas! *hugs* ^_^

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! And I'm sorry I haven't updated in awhile; graduation is this Friday, and I've been busy getting stuff done for school lol. Forgive me? :3)


	13. Chapter 13

(A/N: I am so sorry for not updating in so long! *goes into Tamaki mode* I FEEL SO ASHAMMMMMED~! TTATT But here's another chapter, so please forgive me? :3 In here, there will be both English and Japanese spoken, so here's how to tell the difference: English = **bold **and Japanese = normal. Okie? :D )

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Chapter 13: Yōjō to Uzzu o tsūjite, e. . . Mama no iede wa, watashitachi wa iku?

(Over the Ocean and Through the Woods, to . . . Mommy's House We Go?)

~ P.o.V - Jaycee ~

_Don't worry, Mommy,_ I thought as I packed my things. _I'll be there sooner than you can say Deidei has sexeh hair!_

Ashley came in and set her bag next to mine. "You all ready yet, Nep?" she asked.

I nodded and zipped my bag up. "All we gotta do is just wait for the others to get here, then off to the airport! It sucks that Christine caught the flu, though."

We smiled in anticipation. _Mommy isn't gonna know what hit her . . . . . _

~ P.o.V - Gwen ~

I groaned as my alarm went off. I rolled over and shut it off, practically slamming it back down on my side table. I was still a little mentally vulnerable after yesterday . . . I never realized that I had been holding so much in. I smirked a little as I sat up, yawning.

"Guess I should thank Tamaki and Hikaru for being the pushy idiots they are," I muttered, getting up to get dressed.

My mind went back to yesterday. After my emotional outburst/breakdown, they'd held me a little longer and comforted me. They promised not to tell the others unless I gave them permission, and that if I ever wanted the others to know, that they'd be with me and help me explain myself better. Just in case I broke down again. They stayed for lunch, and from the way Isolde and Alaina kept glancing between the three of us, they'd heard us in the living room. Thankfully, they didn't say anything about it, but they did make sure that I got an extra big piece of chocolate cream pie afterwards, along with a couple of very big hugs.

When mum returned home later, I'm not sure what Isolde told her, but we ended up having Chinese takeout for dinner, my favorite, and then we went out for ice cream after. I got a huge hug from her, too; but, like Isolde and Alaina, she said nothing.

I finished getting my uniform on and fixed my hair into a fishtail braid. Grabbing my things, I went out in the hallway and slid down the staircase rail, landing softly at the bottom. Isolde was waiting for me.

"Miss Gwen, how many times have I told you not to do that?" she asked as she followed me into the kitchen. "You could hurt yourself one of these days doing that . . ."

"Isolde, I'll be fine," I said, rifling in the fridge and pulling out some strawberries. "If I hurt myself, I'll still slide down the rail. It's fun, like flying or riding a wave . . ."

She sighed and started making her amazing crepes, flipping two onto my plate. I cut up some strawberries and put them on, proceeding to drench them in maple syrup. Alaina trudged inside, still half-asleep, and sat next to me on a stool.

"Guten Morgen, Schwester," I said, taking a bite of my strawberry crepes. "Sleep well?"

She gave me a half-lidded look that said "don't talk to me, I'm still tired." I chuckled and pushed her own plate towards her, laughing more when she dug in, spilling syrup on the counter.

We finished eating, then headed out the door towards my hippie van, which I affectionately called "Lady Rhea," after the Greek Goddess. We hopped in and I drove it to the gate, which Isolde had opened and was waiting there to close once we left. However, another car was there. A black, sleek Rolls Royce that I recognized.

"Mitsukuni-senpai?" I muttered aloud, getting out.

Sure enough, both Mitsukuni and Takashi came out from the back seat; the former was smiling at us, and the latter was looking around alertly.

"Good morning, Gwen-chan! Alaina-chan!" said the short blonde with a bright smile. "You wanna ride with us to school?"

"U-uhm, if you don't mind me asking, why?" I asked, raising a brow.

"Weeeeell, we thought it would be a nice break for you, instead of having to drive everywhere!" he answered, grinning up at me.

_Uh huh, and that bunny of yours can sing and dance,_ I thought to myself. I sighed and smiled at them.

"Guys, I know you're worried about me and Alaina, but I refuse to look like I need protection," I said gently. "I can defend myself better now when it comes to a full-frontal attack, and I have enough cunning to keep an eye out for things when I know someone's after me. But, if it makes you feel better," I added, seeing their mutinous expressions, "you guys can drive behind me. Is that a fair compromise?"

They looked at each other, then at me. Takashi sighed, and Mitsukuni gave me a small smirk. "Yeah, it's fine," he said in his mature voice. "But I have to say, you are one of the most stubborn women I know, aside from Haruhi."

I grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment," I said, turning around. I looked over my shoulder at them. "Now we better hurry, or we'll be late. Even though we have free-period first, I don't care; I will NOT have my attendance record sullied."

~ Time lapse - At school . . . ~

We arrived on time, thankfully, and the lot of us were hanging out in the club room. I was alone in my art corner, setting up to start painting everyone's portraits. I had Kyouya put a curtain in to make sure that I wasn't disturbed; it was also to keep the portrait sessions private and more intimate.

I sat up and cleared my throat. "Alright, who wants to go first?" I asked.

Not to my surprise, Tamaki jumped up at the offer. "Ooh! Ooh! Me, pick me!" he said, waving his hand around and grinning like an idiot. I sighed and smiled.

"Alright, come on over, Senpai," I said, gesturing to the chair next to me.

He came over and sat, and I shut the curtain. He looked at me as I sat, his face practically glowing.

"So, how are you gonna start, Gwen?" he asked excitedly. "With the outline, or with the background? Or maybe-"

"Senpai, hush and I'll tell you," I said, chuckling. He smiled sheepishly and became silent. I grinned. "With portraits, I do things differently than with my usual paintings. An artist's job is not to just capture moment's but to also capture personalities, hearts, emotions . . . even the very soul of a subject. For me to do just that, I need to know my subject better. As such, I want to know anything and everything about you that you are willing to tell me, Senpai."

"You can tell me good things, bad things, hell, even secrets if you are comfortable with that," I said, shrugging. "That's one of the reasons I had Kyouya install this curtain; that way the painting sessions with each of you would remain private."

He listened to me carefully, his expression thoughtful and even a bit impressed. Then, he smiled softly. "I like the way you think, my little American Rose," he said. "I'll tell you anything I can think of."

I grinned and got my pencil ready to sketch out the outlines of everything I would paint. Then, he started talking. He told me about his life and childhood in France, his mother, what they used to do together, and even how he learned to play the piano. As he spoke, I began sketching and came up with an idea of how he would be posed and the background. Then, he went on and told me about his grandmother, about leaving his mother, and even about the relationship with his father. He even trusted me with a few small secrets of his, which he counted on me not to repeat. Some of them were funny, while others were sad.

Finally, he talked about his favorite subject ever: the Host Club. He told me how everyone in the club meant so much to him, and especially how he saw everyone as his extended family. I could fully understand that; after all, they were like family to me and Alaina as well. He talked about what each member meant to him, and how much he wanted them all to stay in contact even after they graduated from college and went off to get jobs. He especially loved talking about Haruhi; seriously, I didn't get how he could be so blind to his own feelings when it came to her. It was obvious that he didn't just love her, but was _in love _with her.

When he finished talking, I put down my pencil. The scene went like this: in the background, I had both the silhouettes of Mt. Fuji and the Eiffel Tower, paying homage to both of his main ancestries. He was sitting on a bench in a park of some sort, with his legs crossed casually. His hands were clasped on his lap, and he was looking out of the canvas at the observer. Poking out from the bench was a little raccoon dog, since I had heard the Twins call Haruhi a "tanuki" on occasion. I was going to have the colors indicate the sunrise, or early dawn, to go with his personality. The tree he sat under was a peach tree, since they symbolize eternity in Japanese culture.

However, if you looked carefully, you could see the bittersweet, hopeful happiness in his eyes. You could also see how tightly he clasped his hands, indicating stress or unease. The way his spine was just ever so slightly slumped indicated his hidden insecurities, and his smile almost seemed too cheerful, as if he was forcing it; yet, it didn't seem fake. On the contrary, it seemed all too natural.

I turned my easel a little so he could look at it. "This is you," I said solemnly. "Do you find this to be true?" I looked at him, my gaze steady.

His eyes roamed over the 25"x40" canvas. Finally, he looked back at me. His eyes brimmed with tears, his lower lip trembling as he smiled at me. "Yes," he said. "This is me . . . ."

Then, the tears spilled over and he wiped them away. I frowned a little, feeling slightly guilty. I got up and put my arms around him and shushed him gently, like my mother would.

"I am sorry, Senpai," I said quietly. "I am so sorry that I laid you bare . . . ."

He shook his head and patted my hands, his eyes dry now. "No, there is no need to apologize," he said. "After all, what kind of artist would you be if you could not see into a person's soul?" He chuckled. "And your eyes do seem to do that, you know. See through people."

I chuckled and let him go, shaking my head. "Nah, I can't do that, Senpai. I'm just . . . . observant, I guess," I said, shrugging. Then, I clapped my hands together. "Back to business! I'll need to start painting this during club; is that okay? I've already warned my clients that I wouldn't be available for today and every other day after this."

He nodded, his business face on. "Yeah, I'll let Kyouya know," he said.

"Okay," I said. "I'll finish it at home later, so no worries. Oh, and by the way, only you will see your sketch of your portrait; none of the others will until the big reveal of all of them. At the same time, you won't see any of the others' portrait sketches. Is that clear? Not even your 'beloved daughter' Haruhi's, got it?" I added sternly.

He looked a little put out, but nodded all the same. I smiled brightly. "Good! Now, free period is almost over, so I better get the Twins and Haru and get going~!"

~ Time Skip and P.o.V Change - 2:45 pm, Jaycee ~

**"Woooooow,"** I muttered. **"Mommy wasn't kidding when she said this place was huge!"**

I stood in front of the gate of Ouran Academy, practically gaping like a fish. Liona nudged me.

**"Jaycee, gurl, we need to get movin'!"** she said. **"If we are gonna find that damned music room, we better start looking now. This place looks like a fuckin' maze . . ."**

**"Yeh, I know,"** I said. I looked over at the others who were admiring the architecture and whistled. **"Yo, guys, let's get moving. I wanna catch mommy by surprise!"**

They all nodded and smirked. **"Fef isn't gonna know what hit her,"** said Tabby, holding Ashley's hand. Her girlfriend nodded in agreement, smiling darkly.

**"I still think we should scare the crap outta her,"** she said. **"The expression on her face would be so priceless!"**

She laughed, and Tabby cracked a genuine smile. **"KK, no, we can't do that now,"** she said. **"We'll do it later at her house."**

Amy and Gabby smiled in anticipation. I chuckled, knowing exactly what kind of terror they could unleash.

**"Welp, in the meantime, let's go find that music room!"** I said cheerfully, throwing my fist into the air. **"Okay, so, what did mommy say? 'In the second high school building, at the end of the west corridor, there is an abandoned music room; there, you will find the Host Club' . . . ."**

~ P.o.V Change - Gwen ~

I sat in my art corner, already halfway done with the sky on Tamaki's portrait. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was only 3:17. I smiled, hearing the numerous female voices coming from the other side of the curtain. I shook my head and chuckled.

"I'll never get used to the sheer popularity of this club," I muttered, smiling.

I touched up the sky and started on the silhouettes of Mt. Fuji and the Eiffel Tower. In the background, I could hear the door open once more and thought nothing of it. Well, until the rest of the sound stopped. Curious, I got up and moved to open the curtain. I did so, and nearly fell to the floor.

**"MOMMY~!"**

I made it maybe five steps out from behind the curtain before Jaycee glomped me so hard that I fell. I gasped and looked up at her.

**"Jaycee!? What the everflying fuck?!"** I panted. I winced a little. **"Daughter dear, you're on my spleen . . . ."**

She grinned sheepishly, getting off of me.** "Sorry, mommy,"** she said as I stood. **"I'm just so excited to see you~!"**

I smiled halfway. **"Yes, I got that,"** I said wryly. I looked behind her and saw the others, minus Christine, were also here. I sighed and facepalmed.

**"Really, guys? Way to make an entrance,"** said Alaina, coming to stand next to me. She crossed her arms, shaking her head with an exasperated expression on her face.

**"What?"** asked Liona innocently. **"We only wanted to see you guys~ . . . ."**

**"Just- . . . . *sigh* Guys, just . . . give us some notice next time, alright?" **I said.** "You guys just barged in here, everyone is staring at us, the guys are probably VERY confused, and Alaina and I will be the school gossip for at least a week now . . . . . BUT," **I added, seeing their saddened expressions,** "we're happy to see you guys, too."** I smiled warmly.

They grinned and all of them surrounded us in a group hug, laughing. I rolled my eyes and chuckled. **"Okay, now since you guys are going to be here until club ends, you guys better go over to where Alaina was. I'm painting in the corner over there,"** I said, pointing.

They all nodded, knowing how I could get when I painted. **"We'll introduce you all to the guys after club ends, okay?" **I said.** "In the meantime . . . please don't make a mess, behave yourselves, and, WHATEVER YOU DO, do _NOT_ bother any of the groups, okay? I'm begging you . . ."**

They all nodded and rolled their eyes. **"Really, it's like you don't trust us, Gwen,"** said Amy, smirking a little.

I gave them all a look. **"I trust you guys, but I know how you all get when you're around new people," **I said solemnly.** "BEHAVE."**

With that, I went back behind my curtain and got back to work on the portrait, feeling very stressed all of a sudden.

_Gee, I wonder WHY,_ said a little voice in my head.

~ P.o.V Change - Takashi ~

I watched Gwen walk back to her corner and could see the way her shoulders slumped. I furrowed my brow.

_Okay, that short one called her 'mommy',_ I thought to myself. _But there is no way possible that Gwen could've . . . Okay, no, bad thoughts, bad thoughts . . . _

I shook my head slightly to clear it, then appraised the girls who came in more closely.

The short one was very petite, but, uh, was very . . . developed *ahem*. She had shoulder-length black hair and interesting moss green eyes. She also had a few freckles dashed across her nose. All in all, she was very adorable.

The next one was quite tanned, and had dark brown hair that went down her back. She had coffee brown eyes, and high cheekbones. This being said, she must've had Native American blood in her. My assumption was only confirmed when I noted how broad her shoulders were for a girl.

Then, there were those two girls who seemed to be attached at the hip. One looked like a boy, but the slight swelling in her chest said otherwise. That one had her brown hair cut in a boyish style, with her bangs a vivid violet color. She had pale skin and freckles, with hazel eyes that darted everywhere. The other one, by contrast, had long, dirty blonde hair that went down her back in waves. She had tawny colored eyes that gleamed whenever she looked at the girl next to her. When I looked at their clasped hands, I assumed they were "together."

Finally, the two other short girls also seemed to be opposites. The taller of the two had black hair and a button nose, and seemed to almost try and blend into the background. I had a feeling that she might've had self-esteem issues. Her red-brown eyes would dart here and there before gluing themselves to the floor. The other one, though, had shoulder-length honey toned hair and sky blue eyes. She was very talkative, and had a proud nose. It almost looked Polish, but I couldn't be sure.

My final conclusion was that, indeed, Gwenivere and Alaina had very interesting and diverse friends.

I looked down at Mitsukuni and saw that he kept glancing over at them, particularly the one who called Gwenivere 'mommy'. I bit back a small smile and looked out the window.

_This is sure to be interesting,_ I thought to myself. _If her friends are anything like her, then we are all in trouble . . . _

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( A/N: Okay,, so yet again . . . . I AM SO BLOODY SORRY~ (TTATT) I've just been vey busy and stuff, and I feel really bad . . . . . but, hey, I gave you all a chapter that is my longest yet~! I hope you all like it so far, cuz things are about to get interesting kesesesese~ ;P )


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